When Students Become Teachers
by My Lovely Yume
Summary: Raine takes up her teaching job again in Iselia, while Genis is away in Palmacosta. Some of the students are familiar, including a certain Lloyd Irving. Due to an incomplete test, he must make a house call to Raine's. What happens? LloydxRaine
1. Chapter 1

BLAH. I've read one too many Raine x Lloyd fan fictions. It's an interesting pairing that could work, but the teacher/student barrier has to be broken first. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I proofread a few times. Shouldn't see any typos. If you do, tell me. And it DOES contain spoilers. But you knew that, right?

I softened Raine up a bit, but she shouldn't be OOC. Assume this is following the Raine ending (which I've never played through, LAWL). Only went outside with Zelos, Kratos, and Sheena in Flanoir. So, yeah.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Ruin Mode Raine would be a side-quest.

(Edit 6/17/2007: Dude O.o I see you guys like the story xD I woke up in the morning with about 20 email alerts from concerning this story. Just fixed some slight typos and I'll consider adding another chapter for the wedding.)

(Edit 8/15/2011: I went through once again and revised the story. For some reason, Fanfiction ruined my formatting. I'm taking this opportunity to also fix some problems and grammatical errors in the story, chapter by chapter.)

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Once Raine and Genis returned to Iselia for good, the Professor was offered her teaching position again. The mayor admitted no one could replace her. The students backed up his statements, even going so far as to plan a party for her first new day. They missed the way she threw erases at a sleeping Lloyd Irving. They missed the way she'd beam when Colette got an answer correct. They missed the feeling of fatigue that took over the room after the class finished one of her surprise quizzes. She never did figure out how he managed to sleep standing.

After a bit of convincing, she accepted. Genis felt he'd have nothing to do as he was the second most intelligent person in the classroom. So, he located and dusted off his certificate for a full scholarship to the Palmacosta Academy. Raine reluctantly released her brother to expand his education. Despite being a mature adult, she was still his sister, and in more ways than one: his mother.

Raine quickly worked up a lesson plan for the new school year, wanting to begin it at the normally scheduled time. She had two weeks to do it, which was plenty of time for her. The criteria changed; no longer would she teach the lies of Cruxis, the Legend of the Goddess Martel, or the Journey of World Regeneration. The story of Mithos the Hero was in fact true, so that would still be taught in class and remained unchanged. It was merely a question of what to reveal, what the children could handle, and what they would believe. So many things had happened, conflicting the original lessons she gave before the Journey. The professor would now have to un-teach everything, undo all the lies and half-truths, and rebuild. She couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. The task of creating new textbooks, worksheets, and test had to be done single-handedly. But she was Professor Raine Sage: the staff wielding, grand healer, teacher, scholar, hero of the worlds. Nothing was impossible.

The day before class, Raine continued to prepare her studies and somehow found the classroom sheet. She skimmed over the names; not too many students were on the class roster as Iselia was a small town. But due to the unwanted popularity the town was receiving after their journey, the population was slowly increasing. Some of the names were familiar and she mentally prepared herself to deal with them.

_Monica. The glamour girl._

_Maxwell. Shouldn't he have graduated three years ago?_

_Darien? He must be new._

_Colette. Ah, time to break out the first aid kit._

_Remien. Hmm. A nice kid. _

Then she spotted the name that caught her attention and didn't let go. _Lloyd Irving... _Teaching him for five years, she had to admit, she grew quite fond of him. Yes, he did sleep and, occasionally, the words that escaped his mouth could only be described as idiotic babble. He was in fact a talented fool. His intentions were pure and, in the end, he proved himself to be a hero worthy of endless honor. Something about his personality had grown on her – unfaltering determination that saved the world on so many occasions and even saved her.

She reminisced about that night in Flanoir. He was too clueless to realize her hints, but maybe that was his way of telling her he wasn't ready. Her staff could not heal a broken heart. Still, she left that night with a renewed sense of affection for him. Then, when she saw Lloyd running down the path to Derris Kharlan, as she fought ferociously to reclaim her body... She never told him, but his image gave her strength to fight on and free herself.

x x x x x x x x x x

It was the sounds of birds chirping that woke her up the next day, as morning slowly crept into Iselia. The candle that illuminated her work area during the night had long been doused. Dried wax bubbled down the side of what remained. Some remnants melted down and covered the table. Her desk was cluttered with books, some open, writing utensils, and papers all over the surface, arranged in no particular order.

Moaning, the professor lifted her head from the table and stretched, grunting in annoyance when she realized she fell asleep at her desk for yet another night. Tearing herself away from books seemed impossible on her own. Usually, Genis would poke her and call her to bed, but he was hours away in Palmacosta. She peeled away the papers that were sticking to her cheeks and set them down before standing to her feet. A glance at the clock alerted the half elf that she merely had a half hour to be dressed and prepared to teach in Iselia. _Late on the first day? How unprofessional._

Frantically, Raine stacked her teaching materials in a pile and somehow found time to shower and dress in clean clothing. She stopped herself from running out the door; no, that wouldn't look teacher-like at all. Why was she so worked up about something she had been doing for years now? What was she so excited to see? Or rather, who?

Her heart was racing as she attempted to calmly approach the schoolhouse. She snapped her back straight and held her chin up, strolling like a war general commanding troops to attack an enemy fortress. Her small briefcase swayed along the side of her body in accordance with her confident stride. Raine was back in business doing what she loved best: teaching.

Nothing had changed, but the building had been repaired since the fires. She opened the door to the schoolhouse as she waved a good morning to her pupils. Once inside, she scanned the room in search of familiar faces. Seeing some gave her a bit of relief. She remembered how frightened she was back when she and her brother first arrived in Iselia. Having little choice, the prodigy took up the teaching position after convincing the mayor of her extraordinary talents. It still hurt that she had to lie about her bloodline just like it hurt being forced to take care of an infant, having no one else to rely on. All the new faces scared her, but she swallowed her fears and went up to the chalkboard that first day, ready to prove herself. And truly, she was proven.

She walked in, chuckling lightly upon spotting Colette's trademark: the infamous, human shaped 'door' in the wall. No one had bothered to fix it further as the same two pieces of long wood still laid in place.

Raine set her belongings down on her desk and turned to dust off the chair. A dust cloud attacked her and she sneezed three times in succession before taking a seat.

"Bless you, Professor Raine."

"Heh. Thank you," she replied without looking up and wiped her nose with a small tissue located in the top right drawer of her old, wooden desk. But something about the voice made her do a double take.

She looked up to where she concluded the source of the voice to be. There stood Lloyd Irving and, next to him, Colette Brunel. He carried in his hands two notebooks, a set of sharpened pencils, one quill and ink pot (Raine demanded that all essays be written in ink), his briefcase, and another small package, neatly wrapped with a ribbon and elegant tissue paper. Despite not wanting to seem over confident, she knew the package was intended for her.

Lloyd separated from Colette who was engaged in conversation with some of the students. He made his way to her desk and the professor glued her eyes to him, keeping the tissue to her nose. It was no longer running, but it did a good job of hiding her mouth which was currently wide open.

"Good morning, Professor," the swordsman greeted when he reached the desk.

Raine cleared her throat and removed the tissue, folding it neatly. "Good morning, Lloyd. I wasn't aware that you were on the class roll," she lied.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Hehe. Guess you'll have to deal with me a little bit longer, huh?"

"Not at all. I enjoy teaching you, Lloyd. And, in all honesty, you've taught me many new lessons that could never be understood through textbooks."

Lloyd blushed. "Th-thanks, Professor. The mayor suggested I finish out this school year since my education got cut short from the World Regeneration's journey. It's only for one year, though."

The Professor nodded modestly. "Understandable. I would have suggested that myself. Glad you decided to join me for another year."

"Glad to be back, Professor," Lloyd said with a warm smile. "Oh, yes," he included after a moment of silence. Raine took a sigh of relief. Her cheeks were burning again. But why? "I have something for you." Shifting around the things in his hands, he set some belongings down on Raine's desk before holding the package in his hand.

"What could this be?" Raine asked curiously and received the gift. She ran her fingers over the tissue paper and played with the pink ribbon on top.

"I made you something last night," the boy confessed with a chuckle.

"Thank you, Lloyd. I appreciate your consideration."

"It was no problem at all."

"Just no sleeping in class, okay?" she joked and the boy laughed, reassuring her he would try his best to avoid dozing off. Raine set the package down on the edge of her desk. She figured opening a newly received gift in front of the class would seem unprofessional.

"You're not gonna open it?" Lloyd asked, slightly disappointed.

Her curiosity overtook her and she sighed. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt." She retrieved the package and proceeded to remove the ribbon with care. Lloyd must have put a lot of effort into presentation; the tissue paper had no creases and was bound by a single strip of tape. The last time Lloyd wrapped a present for Genis, it was covered in tapes and glue.

"Do you like it?" the swordsman asked in anticipation after Raine removed the beautifully crafted necklace from its box. It was the same shade of orange as her trademark jacket and its dazzling jewels sparkled against the light coming from the windows. Dirk had trained the boy well in the art of handcrafted materials.

Raine was impressed and expressed her approval with a smile. "It's beautiful, Lloyd. Thank you."

"I, um, noticed you usually don't wear a lot of jewelry. So I decided to make you some. Glad you like it."

"I love it."

"Um." Lloyd took the necklace from her hands and move around the desk until he was behind her. "Lemme put it on you. The clasp is hard to see."

Her body was tense at first, but she forced herself to settle down and relax. His nimble hands guided the necklace around her neck. After a few moments of fumbling around, he released his grasp and let gravity take over. Raine ran over fingers over the piece lightly, still amazed at its beauty.

"Thank you again, Mr. Irving."

"No problem. Geez, please don't call me that. Makes me feel old."

The half elf laughed and looked at the clock. "Alright, it's time to begin class. You should take your seat."

Lloyd nodded, grabbing his belongings. "Okay," he replied obediently before returning to his seat, but no... he didn't go to his normal seat in the back of the class. He sat in the front of the classroom, right in front of Raine's desk.

The two made eye contact for a while, saying nothing. To break the awkward moment, the professor coughed, shook her hair, and stood to her feet, preparing to bring the children chattering into the learning environment. She rang the school's bell and all the students trickled inside the classroom, ready to learn something new.

It was time to teach, but her heart wouldn't listen.

x x x x x x x x x x

Raine began by acknowledging the new faces in the classroom. Each student, one by one, was asked to stand and introduce himself to the entire class as a form of ice breaker. She remembered the first time Colette did her introduction: the girl stood to her feet and turned around, tripping over her shoelace. That was the professor's first laugh of the day, thought she suppressed it. Laughing at students, even though for a valid reason, was not professional. Then Lloyd's first time came and he stood to his feet. She remembered the way Colette beamed at the boy and made a mental note that she was obviously infatuated with him. He looked around the classroom nervously and told them his name, explaining that he lived with his drawven father somewhere in the Iselia forest. Even back then, Raine could tell there was something special about the boy, but his constant acts of stupidity sometimes shielded his potential. Hence, the beginning of a loving relationship between Lloyd Irving, Water Buckets, and the Chalkboard Erasers.

She quickly learned the names of the new students. There weren't too many – this year's class was rather small with about fifteen pupils on the official roster. Raine felt she could do more with this group due to the size. The lessons started as usual: a review of English grammar, 'fun' with mathematics, and handwriting. She collected the papers and critiqued them. Then she sighed. _Yup, they need one. _

The class moaned when Raine ordered them to take out a clean sheet of paper and a writing utensil. It was time for a pop quiz, but she assured them it was merely an evaluation of their current knowledge. With so many new faces, everyone was on a different level of education. She didn't want to insult the intelligent students while critically confusing the not-so-bright pupils.

By the time class was over, she had the majority of the test papers neatly stacked into a pile to be graded at home. _The smell of test papers – so enchanting!_

"Twelve...thirteen... fourteen..." There was a paper missing. Raine looked up to see Lloyd still at his desk, chewing nervously on the eraser of his pencil.

"Agh. Why can't I remember this?" The swordsman knocked his hand against his forehead, as if doing so would somehow spark his memories. "When the number is outside of the parenthesis, you're supposed to... add it?"

Although how humorous it was to watch him suffer with mathematics, she had to leave soon. Some things would never change. "Lloyd," Raine called.

He looked up from his paper and pulled the pencil from his cheek. "Um, is class over, Professor?" The room was silent as they were the only two people inside. Even Colette had trekked home, anxious to play with her new friends.

She nodded. "Yes, it is. Are you not done with your test?"

"No, I'm not, sorry," he replied with a sigh. "I guess math isn't my strong point."

"Not a problem, Lloyd. But I can not stay after school today. I've papers to grade." She picked up her briefcase and stuffed the papers inside.

"Aww," he moaned. "Can I finish it tomorrow?"

"Um," Raine thought. "I'd like to have all papers before tomorrow so we can start on some new material. It would have to be finished today."

Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck with his pencil. "There has to be some way I can finish it today... Can I stop by your house later then?"

"Ahh...I suppose," she caved in with little hesitation.

"Great! Thanks!" he smiled.

"Come by in a few hours then. Five o'clock should do."

"Thanks, Professor!" Lloyd grabbed his things and jumped up from his seat.

"Wait," Raine called before he darted out the door.

"Huh?"

"I need your test." She held her hand out.

"Umm," the boy stammered and scratched his head nervously.

Raine raised an eyebrow in suspicion and tried to read his face, waiting for her command to be obeyed. What was he hiding?

"Don't touch that paper, Lloyd Irving!" she instructed when he grabbed his pencil and attempted to erase something from the sheet.

He moaned. "... Damn." Reluctantly, the test paper was returned to the professor. She had to snatch it from his tight grasp before stuffing into a secret compartment of her bag.

"I'll see you later, Lloyd," she said, dismissing him with a 'nice try' smirk.

"Bye...," he replied with his head down, mumbling under his breath, though Raine didn't catch his words. With that, he left the schoolhouse to begin his trek through the Iselia forest. "Hope she doesn't look at that paper."

x x x x x x x x x x

And Raine didn't. The paper remained in her briefcase, even after she got home. Maybe she felt it would be an invasion of his privacy. Perhaps the swordsman made a silly mistake and would be embarrassed if she viewed it. But what could possibly be on there that she hadn't seen before or so repulsive she'd be forced to lash out at him? Think about it: Sage had been teaching the boy long enough to be well acquainted with his test taking mistakes. If it were the past, she probably would have already, circling errors and moaning about how Lloyd spelled "con-sin-trait" horribly beyond belief. Raine did that with all of her students, but for some reason, she was treating him differently... as if he were an equal.

She sat there, in an old wooden chair at her desk, carefully grading the other test well into the late afternoon. The sun began to set and gave off a soft orange glow, enlightening the room along with another candle. Episodically, the teacher issued a grunting noise upon finding _simple _errors. _Two plus four is six, not twelve... Martel, what's wrong with these kids? _Not all of the grades were that bad. When she found a good one, she'd take a deep sigh of relief and mark the top corner with a "Good Job!" If they were lucky, a sticker would magically appear.

Then five o'clock came, and with it, a deep blush. Any moment now, her _pupil _would come knocking at her door. But it was only to finish a test, right?

Remembering the reason for the visit, Raine pulled back the seat from her desk and located her briefcase. She picked it up and set it on top of her bed, unlocking the compartment with Lloyd's test and shifting through the papers. Soon she found it and returned to her desk. Sage could no longer retain herself. The paper lay face down on her desk; as if it would actually keep her from looking at it. Finally, she broke down and turned it right side up.

But something was wrong... or was it... right? She scanned the paper over for errors with a quizzical face, thinking she had missed something. Lloyd's test was...

"... Finished," Raine whispered to herself. All twenty questions were answered, and amazingly, in complete sentences. One worded responses, especially on test, was one of Raine's biggest pet-peeves (second only to essays not written in ink).

By far, she was amazed and confused. Raine skimmed the paper over and over again, and each time, she ended up at the same conclusion. But to make matters even more baffling, not only was the test done it was...

"... Completely correct!" she exclaimed in astonishment, in addition to laughing happily. The boy had made a perfect score on a test! Unbelievable! Dare she say: impossible? Maybe she made that review too easy, or maybe her lessons were finally getting through to him. Whatever the reason, hopefully it wouldn't stop. Saving the world, passing tests: there truly was hope for the boy! "But if this test is finished, then why is he?..."

Her train of thought was interrupted by three soft knocks at the door. She got up from her desk and strolled over to answer it. Sure enough, Lloyd Irving stood on the outside.

"Good evening, Professor Sage. Am I late?"

Raine shook her head. "No, you're right on time actually." She moved to the side of the door, allowing the boy enough room to enter. "Come on in."

He wiped his feet on the mat and stepped inside. "Sorry to bother you in the middle of the afternoon. It's a beautiful day outside too."

She shook her head and folded her arms. "Education is more important. I don't mind it at all. My days are well spent. You needn't worry."

Lloyd tried to imagine grading papers as a form of amusement, failing miserably. "I'll take your word for it," he laughed.

"Your paper is over there," she said, pointing to the desk. "Take as much time as you need but I can not answer any questions until after you hand it in to be graded. This is a test after all."

"Ah, alright." Lloyd walked over to her desk and sat down, pulling a sharpened pencil from behind his ear. He was ready.

The room was quiet for the most part with the exception of Raine walking around, moving chairs, pushing furniture into the wall, opening a book, only to close it moments later, and anything to occupy the idle time. She had nothing to do as the rest of the test papers were already graded. Her eyes periodically went over to the swordsman as she watched him work and fill in responses that were already there. Funny part was the boy didn't erase his paper once. Feeling she was disturbing his concentration with the constant noise, she picked a literature book by complete random and forced herself to sit down on her bed. She didn't bother looking at the title. All the books in her collection had already been read at least once, but throwing a book away was an act of sacrilege that could easily rival something like burning Spiritua's Statue to the scholar.

After a while, Raine began to feel drowsy. Maybe it was the feeling of her soft bed, the relaxation of a good book, and the sun setting into the distant horizon that triggered it, but she laid down on the top of her neatly arranged sheets and placed her head on the fluffed pillow. Her legs stretched over the side of the bed and her back faced the desk. She told herself not to fall asleep for Lloyd was not finished with his test. How much more time did he need?...

"Professor, are you feeling okay?" Lloyd's concerned voice called. Raine jumped from surprise and sat up to find him standing near the edge of her bed, paper in hand.

"I'm fine, Lloyd," she replied. "Thank you for your concern. Are you finished with everything?"

"Ah," he sang, "with the test? Yeah."

Raine didn't catch the meaning of his response, but took the test from his hand and set it down on her night stand without taking a peep. "I'll have it graded and returned by tomorrow."

"...O-okay."

"Lloyd?"

"Yes?" he replied, a little too ecstatically. The professor raised an eyebrow, though the shadows in the barely lit room covered her face. Lloyd blushed heavily and covered his cheeks with his hands.

"Your test was finished before you even came to my house."

Lloyd's eyes went wide with shock for a moment. He tried to suppress them, but failed miserably for his 'evil' scheme had been found out. _I should have known she'd look at the paper._ "I suppose it was," he said with a chuckle.

The half elf looked him over with her icy blue eyes, folding her arms to give a look that said 'What's going on?' She wanted an explanation.

"I... wanted to look it over because I got an answer wrong."

"Lies," Raine shot back and lifted her index finger into the air. "Your paper was completely correct. Every last answer."

"I guess the secret's out." The boy wasn't nervous anymore and something in his voice frightened Raine. No- not frightened; he didn't scare her as she originally thought, for she had to reason to be afraid of him. It... soothed her.

"Why, Lloyd?" Even her voice lost its sharp tone.

The brown haired swordsman sat down next to her on the bed. Despite Raine being older, Lloyd could see over her head, but his seductive brown eyes met hers in an attractive lock. They stayed in that position, and that moment, Time stopped completely as the two waited for the other to speak first. Both stubborn, they said nothing, letting silence be the translator, but deep down, both wanted to say the same thing. This language was new and mysterious, and at the same time, invigorating and enchanting, like when fantasy met reality; anything was possible.

"I-..." His tongue betrayed him, but this betrayal was far too incompatible with those of Kratos and Zelos. Words he used every day, though not in the same order or to the same person, refused to escape his lips, in spite of the fact he practiced them the entire way to the Professor's small cottage. His throat went dry, feeling like the Triet Desert, and he swallowed loudly a few times to moisten it.

Raine didn't noticed her head was tilted to the side or that her cheeks were even a deeper shade of pink than his. Her ears perked up in anticipation of words. "Yes?"

The boy's heart was racing at the speed of sound; its rhythm pounding so vividly in his ear that he thought it had actually dislocated from his chest. He took in a deep breath, and then another, and another. "Raine," he blurted out and covered his lips with his hands. Never had he referred to his teacher by her first name.

But she didn't mind.

"I... love you, Raine." There. He had said the words that had been wringing his conscious for so long. He finally did it. Time once again started its steady, unchanging, monotone cycle, but he ignored it. A weight lifted from his chest, though he felt tense as he waited for a reply.

She gasped lightly, lifting her hand to her mouth as her eyes went teary. She wasn't surprised, for she felt the same way. "...I-"

Raine's comment was cut off by something blocking her mouth and she widened her eyes to see. It was Lloyd's lips, and he moved her hand away before softly caressing hers, pushing her hair back to view her beautiful face. He wrapped his arms around her waist as his body scooted closer. Raine leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck, forbidding him to stop.

The hearts of two lovers became one and locked into place, defying all forces that wanted to separate them. A wall of fear had been knocked down by the forces of love, guided by determination. Passion was redefined, hope regained, and pure ecstacy born; it mixed in with years of hidden feelings, washing away the stubborn resolve that once blocked their hearts from confessing when they first realized it.

Suddenly, Raine broke the embrace, gasping for air. "Wait," she said, shaking her head.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked, curiously and tightened the grip of his arms around her petite waist.

"... Colette," she replied with her head down. Tears cascaded down her face, traveling down her cheek, and running off her chin, landing in random spots, including Lloyd's right arm. "I thought you loved Colette."

"I mean, Colette's cool and all, but we're just friends," Lloyd confessed, wiping some of the tears away from her serene icy blue eyes.

Yet for some reason, she still wanted to cry. They weren't tears of pain or agony. No, they were much warmer, like a midsummer's rain-shower. "...Lloyd.."

He covered her mouth with his hand. "Nu uh," he said with a playful laugh. "Call me Professor Irving for the rest of the night."

"I thought it made you sound old."

Lloyd released her waist and stood to his feet, towering over the Professor. He grabbed her arms at the elbows and tightened the grip they had around his neck before shifting her body back, making enough room for his knee to rest near the edge of the bed. Leaning in closer, he brushed her lips with his and paused for a moment. "Don't question the teacher, Raine," he commanded through a tongue-drenched kiss.

And once again, the student became the teacher, passing the title on in a way she never expected. She loved every moment, as if she had just discovered a new ruin. Raine let "Professor Irving" take over for the night and concluded it had been one of the best decisions she ever made. With each kiss, he taught her how to love. With each touch, he taught her how to forgive and forget. The future was so much brighter than the past and he made himself willing and able to help her in any way he could, while informing her that he wanted to be a part of that future as brilliant as the morning sun that illuminated the sky and made nighttime into day. Sleep into awake, present into the left behind. And with each moan, she took mental notes, refusing to forget the lesson being taught to her.

x x x x x x x x x x

It was late, well into the middle of the night as the moon hovered above the world, giving off a soft, white glow, when mysterious knocking sounded at the door. Lloyd jumped out of his sleep upon hearing the sounds and looked around the unfamiliar room trying to locate himself. Then he smiled upon recognizing the Professor's soft silver hair inches from his face as she lay in bed next to him. She was still asleep, breathing lightly to indicate her sleep was peaceful. Even in slumber, she was so beautiful.

Two more bangs and he jumped out of the bed, fixing his shirt quickly. The room was dark. Hopefully the persons at the door would be unable to tell if it were inside-out or not. He literally ran to the door and opened it. His eyes coming in direct contact with two familiar, yet distraught, faces.

"Lloyd! I'm so glad you're safe!" Colette exclaimed with a large sigh, clasping her hands together.

Next to the ex-Chosen stood the swordsman's drawven father. "Where the heck have you been, boy? It's well past midnight."

"Whoa, really?" replied Lloyd, his eyes widening in shock.

"Yes, really!" Dirk growled, still upset with his son's lack of time management skills.

"You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine," Lloyd reassured and threw his hands into the air for emphasis.

"Good. Let's go home. Are you finished with your test?"

Lloyd looked back into the house. Raine was still asleep, though her position on the bed had moved. "I'm done. Let me get my stuff first." He closed the door slightly, tight enough to block their view into the house, and ran to the table to retrieve his test and pencil before putting his boots back on. Taking one last look at her, he stepped over to the bed, pulled the Professor's hair, and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. She moaned, rolling on her opposite side. "See you tomorrow, Professor."

"I was worried!" bellowed Dirk once Lloyd returned to them, ready to leave.

"We were both worried, Lloyd!" Colette nodded. "Dirk came to my house looking for you. I got so nervous when he said you didn't go home."

"You told me you were finishing a test with the Professor. I didn't expect it to take that long."

"Sorry," the boy replied. "I got caught up in some stuff. Sorta... sidetracked."

Dirk's bushy eyebrows rose. "Caught up in what?"

"... You know...stuff..."

Colette turned her head to the side and gasped, as if she had just made a new discovery. "I know!" At this point, Lloyd's eyes were glued to the girl in anticipation. Surely the blonde wouldn't be sharp enough to catch on to his events of the night. Her innocence was too thick. "Maybe Lloyd was doing some extra credit."

Lloyd laughed nervously, relieved Colette was still Colette – just as clueless as a doorknob. "Haha... yeah... extra credit. Let's go with that."

x x x x x x x x x x

Raine woke up the next morning with a mysterious smile on her face along with a refreshed feeling, like Iselia after a light rain shower. She lifted her head from the soft pillow and waved her legs under the covers to stretch them, then she stopped and opened her eyes. She moaned disappointed and frowned. He wasn't there. _Of course not. Not like he could stay overnight._

She pulled herself into a sitting position and straightened her back against the head of the bed. Idling herself for a moment, the half elf reminisced about the previous night. Lloyd's hands had more talents than she expected. Not only could he craft intricate jewelry and artifacts known only to drawves, dual-wield swords as if it were second nature, and strike any enemy with ease, but he could massage away stress with his soft fingers. His skin was so soft against hers... she missed his warmth. But...

"CRAP!" exclaimed the professor as she realized the time. Twenty minutes until class began and she hadn't even taken a shower. Peeling back the three layers of bed sheets, she hopped out of bed and ran around her room like a headless chicken, throwing some clothing onto her bed and heading directly for the shower while stripping off yesterday's attire.

Throughout her morning activities, her smile remained unaltered. She even blushed when she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror – she had been swaying as if ballroom dancing. Then she nodded, stiffened her back, and 'hmphed' to finish dressing. How could one night, no-, one man possibly alter her mood so much? Not like she didn't enjoy the sudden change. She loved it. It was like being reborn.

Raine was surprised to see Lloyd beat her to the schoolhouse. He sat in his chair with his pencils already sharpened and erasers ready to be chewed upon mercilessly. When she entered, he lifted his head up, cheeks a bit blushed, and smiled.

"Mo-morning, Professor." Lloyd stood to his feet and walked to her desk.

"Good morning, Lloyd." Her voice was neutral, though her face wasn't. She tried her hardest to keep her personal life out of school.

"Sorry about last night. Dirk and Colette came to the house and I had to leave, but you were asleep. Didn't want to wake you." Sorry? There was no need to apologize.

"It's not a problem. But I'm aware that you took your test home."

"Um..," he shuddered with a chuckle. "Yeah. I did."

Raine eyed him suspiciously. "I'll need it back, Mister Irving."

"Alright, alright." He nodded. "But not until lunch time."

She slammed her hand on the desk. "Lloyd!"

"Trust me," replied the swordsman with a smile as he nodded his head. "Just wait until recess. Okay?"

The Professor poked her lips out, folding her arms. "You'd better not change a thing on that test. Do you understand me, Lloyd Irving?" she commanded.

"Yes, Professor Sage."

During lessons, he gave no hints to his reasoning. She'd call on him, forcing the boy to answer questions, and sometimes to her surprise, he'd do so correctly. So when lunch time came, she made direct eye contact with Lloyd, reminding him of his promise. Sure enough, he kept to terms and pulled the test from his bag. He handed it to her upside down before running outside with his lunch box.

When she turned it right side up, she found out why. She almost wrote an "A" on the top but decided to double check in case he had in fact made some mistakes. A gasp escaped her lips and deep blush when she read the answer to the last problem; it was obvious that the previous answer had been erased:

_I've finally come to terms with myself. I've fallen for you. You know I'm not good with words and stuff, but I don't know how else to explain it or how to tell you. I want to see you happy, Professor. I love you. But... Will you marry me, Raine? _

Raine laughed to herself and tried to do something about the blushing. Slowly, she nodded her head and reached for a quill with red ink on the edge of her desk. She graded all papers with red, so no student would have an excuse for not seeing his grade, no matter how horrible it was.

On the side of the paper, she wrote:

_And I have fallen for you, Mister Irving. Yes, I will marry you. But this answer is not correct and will be marked wrong. _

With that, she marked the paper with a minus one, leaving the swordsman with a ninety percentile on his first test on the new school year.

* * *

Haha. Personally, I like the ending. Okay. I've relieved myself of my RainexLloyd urge. Hope you liked it. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Comments like "OMFG! THIS SUCKS!" will not help me expand my writing and only makes you look like a major jerk. If you don't like something about it, tell me and I'll do my best to improve. Otherwise, don't bother. Anyway, it's 10:40. Good night.

(Edit: 6/7/2007: Thanks to redneckgal for bringing it to my attention. If Lloyd only got one question wrong on a test with 20 questions and each was worth the same amount, he would indeed receive a ninety-five percentile. But if you reread, you'll see how many times she told him not to touch the paper, and he did anyway. So, Raine took off an extra 5 points for not obeying orders xD)


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, here's chapter two. Like I said, I didn't originally plan on making this a recurring series, but due to popular demand, I did. Angelic Sacrifice: Them That Remain took a lot of me. I just finished it. This isn't the last chapter for filler! Maybe one more chapter and an epilogue. We'll see, depending on the comments.

I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Raine would be using a scythe to cast spells.

* * *

Lloyd maintained a high average in school despite his first romantic goof-up. The classmates who knew him were shocked beyond belief, contemplating the coming of the Apocalypse. Some even questioned the Professor on her "grading" policy. He studied every night according to Dirk, worked relentlessly on projects (Raine gave more than enough), was eager to answer questions during class lectures, and was the first person to the schoolhouse, if not Raine herself. The half elf became impressed with his new found ambition in education, only finding herself more interested in him.

Eventually, the school, and the community, caught on to their engagement with a mixture of emotions. There were those who sent their congratulations with endless enthusiasms, asking for wedding plans and giving honeymoon recommendations that only caused Lloyd's cheeks to blush a deeper shade of red than his shirt. Others could not share in those positive feelings. Raine, being the calm, collected, cool-headed person she is, kept a stern face throughout all the accusations. To be suspected of falsifying grades, of being dishonest in what she loved doing with an undying passion, of what she had been doing for over five years, was inhuman. Luckily, she was part elf.

It was summer in Iselia and the last school day, yet Raine felt compelled to give a proper farewell to her schoolhouse before departing. Thick grass covered the lands where dirt roads had not been compacted and trees were a vivid green. Both swayed in the warm gentle breezes, still moist with stray droplets from the previous night's rain shower. Birds chirped a song that no ears other than their own could understand, but it was beautiful to listen to nonetheless. The sun, held at noon position, shined brightly, greeting Aselia with another day of life and not a cloud dampened the sky.

"_Excuse me?_" asked Raine with an eyebrow raised, gripping her desk with a death-lock while she crouched like a tiger, ready for the kill.

"No wonder Lloyd got through so easy on his tests and stuff."

Releasing the desk, she folded her arms and straightened her back, giving a cold icy blue glare to her visitor. "Oh, so this is about Lloyd?" she said, pretending to be surprised. Rumors spread through town faster than Colette's Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium. A few ignorant souls were brave enough to confront her face to face. Most were students who had failed her class or barely passed. Of course, they had more nothing to lose. Grades were final, but if she wanted to, Raine could easily find a way to change them.

"I heard Lloyd graduated this year as valedictorian," Maxwell scoffed. He was indeed one of the year's failures, entirely due to his own lack of participation in all areas of study. He never did homework, slept in class more than Lloyd, refused to take tests, and even argued with Raine about it. The parent letters never made it home – she found most in the trash before the day was over. The parent-teacher conference requests were always scheduled for "tomorrow," but tomorrow always seemed a day away.

Raine gave a proud nod. "He did."

"And you two just so happened to be getting married! That's bull, Professor Sage!"

"I think not, Maxwell. Lloyd completed all tasks required for graduation and had the highest grade point average for his group. If need be, I can prove it by going over all of his tests and recalculating all the numbers," said the half elf with a mischievous grin. Somewhat of a cheap shot from the Professor: Maxwell was scarcely capable of counting any higher than the number of fingers on his hands, and the last time he checked, it was only thirteen.

Admitting defeat with a growl, he backed away. "Fine." Maxwell turned on his heels and darted out of the schoolhouse, slamming the door behind him. The building shook, and a few objects hanging on the walls fell down with a crash, spreading glass all over the floor. Rolling her eyes, the Professor swept up the glass and disposed of it properly with a broom and dustpan.

Sometimes she'd wonder to herself how she maintained her sanity all those years. Teaching in itself was more than a hassle, one not for the faint of heart. Ignorant students gave no relief to the already stressful job. But many things contributed to strong grasp on saneness: raising her brother from infancy and having a goal in life, that being to find the ruin of her dreams. Genis, though not legally an adult, had grown into something much more, inching ever so close to full fledged manhood and there were no more lessons she could teach him herself. Time only ticked away before he found some elegant young beauty to call his wife and he'd be asking for his sister's blessing to pass down his own half elven heritage. And the ruin from her dreams as well as her nightmares had been formed into reality. So what was keeping her sanity now? Or rather, who?

With a sigh, Raine finished packing her things and closed the final box and secured the top flaps with a single strip of tape. Now the schoolhouse was completely empty, but the feeling was bittersweet. This type of silence didn't even occur during recess: that empty, hollow silence which resonates within the ears, as if one was straining to hear noises that were not present. During lunch, the children seemed to get rowdy like animals released from their cages. On several occasions, the Professor would be forced to answer a distress call in the form of a scream, cry, or inaudible screech of her name. That's when she'd growl with gritted teeth, slide her desk's chair back, and shuffle outside to stop a fight from taking place or care for a bleeding wound with bandages, sometimes even two. Colette still held the record for the most: fifty four injuries, twelve resulting in early dismissal, five earning doctor visits, and one earning her the title "Eternal Klutz," courtesy of the class. How the girl managed to impale herself with an unsharpened pencil remained a mystery to Raine. But now those days were over and she'd not hear those sounds until at least another four months, assuming she renewed her teaching contract. Never again would she tend to a profusely bleeding Chosen of Sylvarant, or throw teaching supplies at sleeping brunettes, or even turn Ruin mode during lectures. The same eaglets would not return to the nest for nourishment. It was time for them to fly.

x x x x x x x x x x

Raine perked up upon hearing the front door open with a smirk of annoyance when the thought of Maxwell coming back for round two phased her mind. To her relief, her eyes brightened as she watched her visitor approach her desk with a cool stride she'd come to know and love.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Lloyd waved, walking down the classroom's main aisle and stopping behind her desk. "I thought I'd find you here."

Raine shook her head. "Lloyd, you don't have to call me that anymore."

He chuckled with shrug. "Sorry. It's a hard habit to break."

"I suppose it can't be helped," replied the half elf.

Lloyd turned, looking at all the boxes. About two rows were stacked neatly, waiting to be removed from the premises. "These are your boxes?"

"Yes. They're going home with me. It'll take me a while to carry them all, but I've done it before."

"Don't worry. I'll do it." Shuffling to the side, he stepped closer to the first row and prepared to pick one up, remembering to bend with his knees. The last time he disregarded that rule, it resulted in about a ten-day recovery period and an endless lecture from Dirk on the importance of safety, while he was forced to hold ice packs on parts of his body that only seemed to multiple the bitter cold temperatures.

"No, no. I'll do it." The Professor reached out, attempting to retrieve the box from her fiancé.

The swordsman backed away quickly, well out of her reach with the box still in hand. "Raine, it's okay. I got it."

"... Alright. But be careful. And don't drop it. There are some very important research materials in there," she consented with a sigh.

"I know, I know. You should go home and rest up. I'll take care of the rest of the boxes." He shifted the package in his hands. Some of his fingers were falling asleep. _Gah! What does she have in here? Bodies?_

"Yeah. I am feeling a bit drowsy." Raine put a hand to her forehead, opposite the palm, and felt her temperature to check for any signs of a developing fever. Sliding the hand down to her cheek revealed the same warmness heating up her flesh. She picked up her briefcase and headed towards the door, stopping near Lloyd. "But I have to meet the mayor for a little while."

"Are you okay?" he asked, preparing to place the cargo down.

"I'm fine... Just stop by my house later after you deliver the boxes."

A smirk, which eventually escalated into a grin, plastered onto the swordsman's face. He bit his lip to suppress it, failing miserably, before turning his head to the side.

"What's so funny?" questioned Raine.

"Nothing...," he lied.

"Lloyd..." She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.

"I was just thinking about the last time I 'stopped by your house.' Maybe history would be kind enough to repeat itself."

The half elf gasped as her cheeks blushed red. Her eyes widened with embarrassment and she swallowed twice, trying to recollect her nerves. Bittersweet memories filled her mind: sweet for the way his hands stroked her skin, bitter for the way he eventually had to let go. The reaction only fueled Lloyd's laughter. Soon, she found herself joining in.

The Professor tossed her chin to her shoulder. Silver locks swayed with the force of her movements. "Don't completely knock the possibility, _Professor Irving_." With that, Raine sashayed out of the schoolhouse, leaving Lloyd with a dumbfounded expression on his face and the encouragement to finish his task as valiantly as possible.

x x x x x x x x x x

Evening crept in like a sweet lullaby. A red orange orb sank down, wanting to rest behind the horizon. It gave the false illusion if one were to run far enough, she would be able to touch it. Had the Professor been foolish enough to believe so, she would have done it already. The volume around town hushed down to something barely above a whisper as the residences acknowledge the ending of the day. Merchants packed their carts, children retreated home, and stores locked their doors. Everything not hidden by shadows was layered with a gentle orange tint, softening their appearance as if in a dream.

Raine made it home later than she would have liked. The mayor had a mouth that could power Derris Kharlan if it was fueled by the mana of words alone. Only half of the information he gave her was useful, so most went into one ear and out the other as she tried to maintain an interested smile. She felt it was her duty as a teacher to listen, and at one point, he did bring up her engagement. It was anything but a secret. A beautiful engagement ring sat on her finger, blinding anyone within a three-mile radius if it hit the sun at the right angle. Sometimes, she'd get it stuck in her hair. Three stones sat clasped within a solid gold casing: the smallest being the past which represented the events of the yesteryears which he could not change, the middle being the second largest which represented their present moments that they'd treasure forever, and the largest representing the future which he promised to make as beautiful as her. Lloyd had an expert eye for jewelry, picking out only the best for his half elf fiancé. She secretly looked forward to seeing her wedding ring. When the mayor brought up the subject, Raine stood her ground, armed with all of his test papers along with her grading book. Seeing she was well supplied to his relief, he backed down and let her exit with a reassuring smile.

She found herself running to her cottage. She stopped inches from the door and twisted the knob to the side. As expected, Lloyd sat in a chair, and he greeted her with a smile.

"You're back," he said, standing to greet her.

"Sorry, Lloyd. I wasn't expecting to be there that long." Raine set her briefcase next to the door and collapsed in the closest chair. She threw her hand over her forehead. "That man can talk a mile a minute."

Lloyd walked over to her, sat in the next chair, and put his hand on her brow. "You don't look so good."

She smacked his hand away and turned her head to the side. "I'm fine. Just a fever. It'll go away tomorrow."

He looked over her with concerned eyes, twisting his lips as he suppressed the urge to debate the subject. "Can't have you sick for the wedding."

"Speaking of the wedding, that's why I asked you to stop by."

"Oh?" replied Lloyd, with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong? You... don't want to do it?"

"No! That's not it!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "It's nothing like that. I'm talking about Genis."

Lloyd gave a sigh of relief, bringing his hand to his forehead to wipe away invisible sweat drops. "You scared me there for a second."

"I sent word to him in Palmacosta, but haven't gotten a reply yet. I figure he's taking exams or maybe doing a project." The Professor's face was distraught. She twisted her lips, shifting her weight in the chair.

"It's the end of the year. Isn't he off for the semester?"

"That's why I'm concerned. He might not take this very well," Raine said with a sigh. Her concerns did nothing good for the fever. A heat wave flushed over her face and she took in a deep breath to contain her discomfort.

"Don't worry about it, Raine. Everything will work out just fine."

"If I don't receive a reply by tomorrow, I'll visit Palmacosta personally," she replied, keeping her gaze out the opposite window. Her eyes marked the descent of the sun, observing the growth of the shadows, as it slowly lowered behind the mysterious horizon until dawn of the next morning. She was never one to let her concerns go public, suppressing heartfelt emotions with synthetic solutions such as logic and reasoning. Lloyd was fully aware of that. He looked at her, blinking with a silent sigh, and let the silence thicken. Neither moved, other than for preventing limbs from falling asleep. Raine felt his eyes on her cheek, but she didn't turn around. She set an elbow on the chair's arm and supported her head in her hand.

The ringing of an alarm broke the silence. Lloyd went into his pocket and pressed a button, ending the monotone torment.

"Dammit. It's that late already?"

Raine eyed him curiously. "Hmm?"

"I gotta get home. Dirk said he wanted to talk to me about something, and if I'm not home by nine, he'll smooth out my face with an anvil." He stood to his feet, stretching his arms and letting a yawn escape.

"Alright." She followed suit, standing to her feet and giving a light stretch.

"You need to get some sleep anyway." The swordsman walked over to Raine and lifted his hand, caressing her cheeks. They still burned, but the fever wasn't responsible for the increased temperature. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer."

She nodded. Sleep sounded pretty good to her as the fatigue grew. Her eyelids drooped and she bit her inner cheek to suppress the rebellious yawns. "It's fine, Lloyd. Dirk is your father, and I have no right to keep you against his wishes," replied Raine. Her disappointment was evident in her voice, but she tried her best to keep a professional tone.

She tried to walk towards to the door, but he stopped her, tightening the grip on her hand. Pulling her arm, he swung her body closer to his and wrapped his arm around her waist. The Professor blushed, widening her eyes in shock as her heart rate increased tenfold. Lloyd moved her silver locks away from her face, revealing the beauty he'd fallen in love with. Her eyes were truly captivating and dazzling at the same time, like jewels glistening against pure goddess-given sunlight. Before she could speak, he brought his lips to hers. His tongue prevented her from protesting, not that she would have, and only a few pleasant moans escaped. She put her arms around his neck, slowly tightening the embrace. Neither of them wanted to let go, and if they had their way, they wouldn't have.

Lloyd broke off after a few passionate moments, much to Raine's disappointment, and even more of his own. She released her grasp from around his neck, but he kept an arm on her waist, fighting the new temptation of letting his hand slide down even more.

"Good night." With a smile, he kissed her again. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Lloyd."

Something inside her weakened, on the verge of completely shattering, and her heart was left with a sense of lacking, yearning, longing. Icy blue eyes shined with unshed tears; for the first time in a long while, she let her true colors show. Lloyd wiped away the ones that fell, and had he the time to stay, he would have wiped away each one after. She knew he'd keep to his promise and come back, but the tears wouldn't listen and kept streaming down her face. Had daybreak been merely a blink away, morning would not have come soon enough.

And just like that, he was gone. But all she could do was wait.

x x x x x x x x x x

Iselia's morning beauty was only rivaled by the night time, when the moon hovered above, giving off a soft white glow. Crickets sang and owls communicated through the darkness, their words unknown. Gentle breezes blew through the forest as Lloyd made his way back home, moving his hair in countless directions. The feeling of Raine's lips against his still tingled, and the taste still caressed his tongue. The flavor could only be described as Heavenly, one too wonderful for him to pass up. He smiled to himself, hoping that it would never go away, treasuring every memory of his time with her.

He hadn't even realized he made it home until the sounds of his boots pounding against solid bedrock reached his ears. He stopped in front of the door, checking himself for any telltale signs and cleared his throat before going inside. Dirk sat at the dinner table with a covered plate opposite his seat, reading a thick book with a title the swordsman couldn't make out. When he heard the door open, he looked up and lowered his literature.

"Ah, decided to come home on time, huh?" Dirk said, looking at the clock.

"I'd rather avoid the anvil," Lloyd replied with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Well, you wouldn't have to worry about that." He closed the book, pushing it aside and pointed to the chair in front of him. "Now sit down and eat, boy."

Following instructions, Lloyd rested himself. His meal's smell was enchanting, only growing more pleasant as he got closer. His mouth watered, just seconds from turning into a waterfall. His eyes widened with delight as he uncovered it. "Yes! Steak, my favorite!" To his left were a knife and fork, which he picked up without hesitation, ready to devour his dinner. "What did you want to talk about, Dad?" he managed to spit out.

"Didn't I tell you not to speak with your mouth full of food?" Dirk shook his head, slamming his palm against his face and frowning with his bushy eyebrows.

Lloyd swallowed with a gulp. "Sorry..."

"Ugh, never mind. Anyway, it's about Raine. You're getting married, Lloyd. That's a big thing."

In his own opinion, their topic was rather remedial. He put his knife down on the side of the plate and took a sip of water, clearing his throat. "Ye-yeah. I know."

"This is a once in a lifetime accomplishment. You've already shown me and the world what you can do when you set your mind to it. I have no doubt you'll do wonders. But are you well prepared to care for a wife, Lloyd?"

Lloyd twirled the fork around his fingers. "Yes, I am." He locked eye contact with his father, pure confidence in his gaze.

After a few moments of silence, Dirk nodded and caved in. "Alright. I wouldn't push it anymore."

"To tell the truth," he confessed, "it took me a while to come to terms with it. I mean, most people would have expected me with Colette, since we've known each other for such a long time. Don't get me wrong. Colette's a really good friend and that will never change, even if I am married."

"Good. It's a terrible thing when good friendships are lost to marriage."

"But any obstacles that come will be later on. I wouldn't worry about problems I can't see."

"Where are you planning on moving after the wedding? Have ya even started planning it?"

"Uh," stammered the swordsman, "not much because of school. But we will starting tomorrow. We were going to start today but Raine has a fever, so I told her to rest."

Dirk rose an eyebrow. "A fever, eh? I've never heard of the Professor having a fever before. You don't find it unusual?"

"You mean like a really bad sickness?" Lloyd twisted his mouth, pushing away his plate. "Something deadly?" Now he was worried. "I gotta go back to her hous-"

"No, nothing that serious, Lloyd. I was just thinking she could be- gah. Forget it." Dirk ran his fingers through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn't completely oblivious to his son's nightly escapades with the Professor, but he decided not to bring that subject up. Maybe it would be best if Lloyd found out on his own.

Lloyd looked confused, squinting at his father as he waited for an explanation. "What's wrong, Dad? Were you gonna say something?"

"No, it's nothing. Just finish eating and go to bed." Standing, he pushed his chair in and walked down the small step, making his way to the tool room. "I've got work to do."

"Ah, okay..." He shrugged and returned to his meal, ready to inhale the last of his potatoes and steak.

x x x x x x x x x x

And finally the morning came. Smiling at the sunlight, Lloyd peeled back the covers and hopped out of bed before walking over to his dresser. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and laughed when he heard the sounds of Noishe's whining, probably because of a bird. He stretched, giving a yawn before pulling out a few drawers to pick out clothing. His wardrobe didn't have many variations. Mainly red shirts, black trousers with suspenders, and a whole lot of buttons which contributed to his nimble fingers. Dressing and undressing years ago took ages. Sometimes he'd just rip open his shirt and pop the buttons. That habit was broken over the years, after a few good screaming sessions from Dirk. He even forced Lloyd to re-sew the buttons.

Breakfast was more involved than usual. He could smell it even before he got downstairs, almost tripping over his feet while walking. It was even more beautiful when he trekked into the kitchen: strawberry pancakes dripping with butter, sausage cooked to perfection, scrambled eggs, cinnamon raisin oatmeal, and of course, Dirk's famous-

"-BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!" screamed the swordsman as he jumped up the small kitchen steps. A dust cloud formed beneath his feet as he ran to the table, mercilessly pulling back a chair, and trying to contain the mounds of saliva that fought to drain from his mouth.

"Good morning to you too, Lloyd." Dirk appeared from a room somewhere in the back of the small cottage. He wiped off his dirty hands with a raggedly piece of cloth.

"Umph-" Lloyd stuffed a piece of sausage in his mouth, chewed it to the best of his ability, and followed up the process with a gulp of milk. "-Mo–morning, Dad."

The pancakes were next. Snatching the fork, he proceeded to jab it into the strawberry-covered delights. He could swear they were calling his name. _"Lloyd! Lloyd! Eat me, Lloyd... Eat me... I'm delicious..."_

"This is awesome, Dad! What's the special occasion?"

"Ah," replied Dirk, "no particular reason. Just thought I'd make something good for breakfast."

His ravenous hunger seemed to drown out the desire for a real explanation. The swordsman nodded, returning to his plate. He began using his fingers, feeling the fork was merely an obstacle. He was scolded for abandoning his utensils, but he'd revert to his old ways as soon as Dirk left the room. Lloyd figured his father was doing some time consuming work and thought nothing of it. At one point, he was caught red handed, or whether, bacon-handed with a second strip of bacon hanging from the corner of his mouth and eggs sticking to his face. After a while, Dirk gave up and left the boy to his eating.

Despite the growing desire for seconds, Lloyd finished his plate. In a matter of minutes, the swordsman devoured an entire stack of pancakes, four scrambled eggs, six strips of bacon, five pieces of sausage, and three glasses of orange juice. He washed his plate and face before announcing his departure. Dirk waved the boy off, still a bit annoyed with his atrocious eating habits.

Walking into Iselia was like walking into the past, as he had done it so many times before. He was greeted by the guards on duty and a few random people walking into town. Had it been years ago at this same time of day, he would have probably been on his way to the schoolhouse for another day of being abused and yelled at for not remembering the year Palmacosta declared independence. It wasn't that he didn't pay attention to what Raine was saying, it was the fact thinking became difficult while holding water buckets and being flooded with chalk dust. Sometimes she'd use bricks instead of water. But those days were over... right?

Lloyd approached the Professor's cottage, making his way up the stairs, and watched the pond's water ripple as a stray leaf broke away from the tree. He wouldn't mind living there if she requested to stay in her old home, but he also wouldn't mind building a new place, somewhere outside of Iselia if possible. The town held too many memories, some more enjoyable than others. Her cottage was one of the many buildings to be burned during Forcystus' reign of terror, but was repaired during the World Regeneration. Much to her surprise, none of their belongings were stolen, mostly because everything inside was too destroyed to salvage. Maybe it would be best to move where else after all.

Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door, rocking back and forth on his heels. Shuffling on the other side soon followed. Seconds later, it opened and in front of him stood a fully dressed Raine Sage.

"Oh, Lloyd. It's you." She smiled through her icy blue eyes, moving to the side to allow him to come inside.

He walked in and closed the door behind him. "Morning, Raine. I thought I'd be too early."

She shook her head. "No, I always wake up at dawn. It's a habit I've had from teaching. Mainly, I just read or grade papers." Raine nodded towards her neatly made bed, where a ten inch thick book lay face down on the pillow, marking her current page.

Lloyd looked at her with a bizarre squint in his eyes, taken aback by the thought of waking up at daybreak for the sole purpose anything educational. Raine was truly a strange person, but he loved her nonetheless. Hopefully, she wouldn't do it during their marriage, else problems were bound to arise. "Uh huh..."

"If Genis isn't here by noon, I'm going to Palmacosta," she proclaimed, walking back to her bed and placing a bookmark before setting the literature aside.

Lloyd sighed, folding his arms. "Don't stress over it so much."

"I think you're taking the situation too lightly, Lloyd." Raine rubbed her temples and fanned her face, despite the room's temperature being rather moderate. She closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths.

"Genis is my best friend. Of course I care if he comes to the wedding, if that's what you're implying." He caught her movements, figuring the fever had survived the night. He made his way to her bedside, sat down, and put his hand on top of hers, patting it softly. She kept her gaze downwards but a smile broke through. "Just relax."

"Alright, but if-"

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Well, it sounded more like someone throwing bricks at the wood with the intention of breaking it in half, and the sound of cracking only confirmed that suspicion. Both Raine and Lloyd jumped, while the half elf became slowly infuriated with the erupt interruption.

"Who in the world would have the audacity to do such a thing at my residence?" Raine stood to her feet and stormed her way to the door with a fiery glare on her face.

Lloyd's brain turned to mush as he tried to comprehend her statement. "... what?"

"How dare yo- Oh my..." She gasped with her hand to her mouth.

"Where is he?" demanded a familiar voice. "Where's Lloyd?"

The swordsman quickly stood to his feet when he finally put the voice to a face, figuring it wouldn't look good if he was caught sitting on his best friend's sister's bed.

The visitor dropped his belongings near the door and pushed his way through Raine, storming into the cottage and glaring with indignation. Messy silver locks swayed around as he scanned the room for one person in particular, confident he was somewhere on the premises. "Lloyd!" exclaimed Genis, pointing with a single finger.

"He-hey, Genis. What's up?" he replied, scratching the back of his head and tried to force a smile.

Genis obviously wasn't amused. "What's this I hear about you marrying my sister? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No... it's not a joke."

His eyes widened in shock, and he spun around on his heels, turning to look at his sister. Raine replied by nodding with her eyes closed. She was knew full well he would take the news the hardest, but it still pained her to see him in such a state of incredulity. Such joyous occasions like marriage were supposed to be more pleasant, so she couldn't help but be a little upset by his reaction. For once, why couldn't he be happy for her? After all she did for him, all the unknown sacrifices she made to give him a better life.

The mage was speechless for a moment, giving a blank stare to the opposite wall and idly shaking his head. "...bu-but... you can't get married." The rage subsided into a form of disbelief.

"Why can I not, Genis?" Raine asked after a moment of thick silence.

"But, Raine!" pleaded the sibling. "This is Lloyd! Lloyd, for goddess sake!"

"That doesn't answer the question, Genis." Raine lifted her chin, keeping her eyes closed, and folded her arms, still struggling with the fever.

"I-I don't know! But you just can't!" Tears filled his blue eyes and he turned away from both of them. He took deep breaths through his nose, clenching his fists as he fought between disappointment and anger.

"Genis..." Lloyd whispered and began to walk towards him, but the half elf stepped back.

"Just don't... I need time to think." His voice cracked and the tears flooded down his disheveled face. Head down, he made his way to the door and went outside, slamming the door behind him.

Raine sighed, hiding her own tears. "I knew he'd do that."

"Me too," replied Lloyd. He could tell she was in pain, as he was himself. The entire situation left cold spots in their spirits, but the warmth of hope kept their hearts from freezing numb. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"But Llo-"

"-It's me he's concerned with, not you." Smoothing out invisible wrinkles in his shirt, Lloyd followed in the path of his friend. Raine almost tried to stop him, but she let him go with a nod of assurance. It was painful to want so badly to help her brother, but she realized there was nothing she could do. The situation was in the hands of her fiancé as the issue was something out of her reach. "I told you. Everything will work out just fine."

Genis was outside, sitting cross-legged in front of the pond throwing rocks across the surface. His uniform pants were covered in dirt, but he didn't seem to mind, and his hat lay on the ground upside down. He looked to the side, quickly returning his gaze to the pond upon spotting Lloyd, and threw another pebble into the waters with twice the force of the previous ones. The water shot up like a miniature spread, rippling outwards in waves, distorting the once mirror like image reflecting from the surface.

"Why my sister? Why Raine?" asked the half elf after ignoring Lloyd for about five minutes. His voice was gruff and hoarse.

"I love her, Genis." He had nothing to say, so he spoke the truth, the undeniable truth. "There's really no other way to explain it."

"What makes you think you love her? You never said anything to me before."

Lloyd shrugged. "I didn't know it before. Besides, if I had told you before, do you think your reaction would have been less... angered?"

He couldn't deny that fact; had it been confessed before, Lloyd would have been running from fireballs.

"I'm not doing this to upset you, I'm not doing this to make you hate me, and I'm not trying to hurt anyone. You know me better than that. Why would I do something I didn't believe in?"

Logic and dissent were like fire and ice: they wanted nothing to do with each other, but if either was ignored, things could be problematic. Genis could no longer deny he had no more reasons to protest their marriage, and that's what hurt the most. "Fine. I'll give it a chance."

Lloyd suppressed his smile, silently cheering in delight. "Thanks, Genis."

"But," included the mage in a deep tone, "remember one thing, Lloyd."

The swordsman raised an eyebrow and replied, "What's that?"

"Break her heart," proclaimed Genis, "and I'll Grave your nuts. Got it?" Petite fingers grasped a medium sized pebble. He didn't have to turn around, but Lloyd could tell the half elf was completely serious and had the ability to carry about his threat.

"Heh. Fair enough." Lloyd swallowed, feeling a strange aching in his lower half.

Standing to his feet, Genis wiped the bottom of his pants off and grabbed his hat off the ground, replacing it on his head. He looked rather mature in his Palmacosta Academy uniform. "I guess we should tell Raine."

"There's no need," said the Professor's calm voice from the doorway.

"Raine-"

"I heard everything," she confessed with a smile. "Thank you, Genis."

Genis' cheeks blushed deep red, and he twisted his face in an attempt to hide it. "I wanna see you happy, Raine. After all you've done for me, it's the least I could do."

She wiped stray tears from her face, clearing her throat. "Disregarding the threat," she teased, only making Lloyd feel even more uncomfortable, "everything is in order on my end. We can start planning the wedding."

"Uh, Raine..." Genis eyed his sister curiously, feeling something unusual in the surroundings.

"Yes?"

He stepped closer to her, reaching his hand to her face and placing his second on her stomach. "There's something different... the mana in your body seems to be multiplying."

"No-nonsense. It's just a fever." Shaking her head, she backed away, squinting her eyes as another heat wave flushed over.

"It's not a fever... WAIT!" Genis gasped. "Are you... pregnant?"

* * *

Gah! The fluff! It BURNS! -rolls around in fluff flames- Was trying to avoid the fluff scenes, but them kissing is so cute. And Genis' threat has to be my favorite line of the entire story. Strike-type Genis ftw.

I'm out of things to say and plus I have class soon. So, until next chapter, TOOTLES.


	3. Chapter 3

Let me first begin by stating that the current time is 3:10 AM. I proofread about twice, but there might still be some typos I missed. Anyway, this is chapter three! -does a dance- I'm too tired to think. Enjoy!

I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Lloyd would have had a sexy spandex outfit like Yggdrasill.

* * *

With passion, comes a price. Everything happened so fast, not that he regretted a single moment of it – neither did she. It had to be that night, or could it have been _that_ one? Heck, could have been both. Or all. Wow, how many times did he go to her house, and how many times was she tempted to visit his, to relive that same passion? The number was far too great to imagine, and it only grew with each passing moment, but it was worth the sacrifice.

At that point, everything froze; even the wind stopped moving. Raine threw her face into her hand, wrapping the other around her now occupied mid-section, and let out a deep sigh of defeat. Standing some feet away, the suspected father threw his arms down to the sides and stumbled backwards as dilated brown eyes looked on in shock. His conscious tried to make sense of the situation. Fiery icy blue eyes grew broad before turning to Lloyd with a glare that could break through magitechnology stone, though the mage had another reproductive target in mind. The secret was out. If only he could find a kendama.

"Pre-pre-pregnant?" Lloyd managed to spit out between short breaths, shaking his head in countless directions as he tried to explain the matter at hand to himself. "Wh-what... how-I mean, I know _how _from the bees and the-but I mean 'how-how' and..." His incoherent monologue died down into a light mumble.

"...Raine... Raine!" The shock affected his ability to form any other words besides his sister's name, but it was more than enough.

Still, she said nothing, shaking her head from side to side and hiding her expression behind layers of drooping silver hair and that stone facade she built up over the painful years of existence. If one looked close enough, he could see small cracks forming. She felt warm and consequently unable to determine whether it was indeed the fever wrecking havoc on an already chaotic situation or a feeling that had been dormant for so long: fear. After all that happened to her over the years, one would think Professor Raine Sage would be immune to all surprises and willing to make any sacrifice necessary without such natural emotions conflicting her ability to make decisions. Was the idea of a new child coming her way really that much of a shock? Or was it something else?...

"Lloyd, you got my sister pregnant?" screamed Genis, still standing a few feet away. Had he been any closer, his petite fingers would have been wrapped around the swordsman's neck, making it even harder for him to breath. People on the street stopped to stare, pointing as if they were a part of a freak show. Some of the spectators were Raine's former students they gasped upon picking up a few stray words from the conversation. Some even snickered as they walked by.

Lloyd swallowed once, then twice, then a third time just for good measure as he tried to formulate an acceptable explanation for his indignant brother-in-law. Not even the Eternal Sword could save him from this, with its power over time and space. "... Wow... I-I don't know... Raine never told me anything an-"

"Don't you DARE try to pin this on Raine! It's your-GAH! I can't believe you slept with my sister!" Genis slammed his palms against his temples, trying to squeeze the tormenting thoughts of his sister sleeping with his best friend from his mind.

"Whoa, whoa, Genis! Calm down for a second!"

"I can't believe you! I never thought you'd do something like this!"

"Wait a minute," replied the swordsman, feeling as if he was being unfairly blamed for a crime. How could a new child be considered a crime, something worth punishment? True, a new baby would be the cause of major adjustments, but Genis was treating it like an act of sacrilege against the highest courts of the lands, himself being the all-mighty judge.

"Sis, do you hav-" Genis turned around to face his sister, jumping in his pants when he noticed his eyes did not come in contact with hers because she wasn't standing at the door anymore. In fact, she wasn't standing at all. "RAINE!"

"Raine!" Sprinting to her side, Lloyd dashed his way past Genis. He dropped to his knees, taking her hand in his and flipping it palm side up as he felt for a tell-tale sign of life. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he confirmed she was still alive, but her eyes stayed shut. She didn't respond to the pleas of her brother or fiancé, and her body remained limp.

x x x x x x x x

Darkness. Then light. Two opposing forces mixed together in a strange harmony, like a candle in an abyss. Her eyes felt heavy, fighting a losing battle for the right to use her sense of sight. She was lying still, but her head was spinning out of control. Somewhere in the unknown distance, a symphony of familiar voices filled the air, though she found herself unable to make sense of their song's conversation. She gave up, letting her back sink deeper into the most comfortable surface her body had ever been placed on, and tried her best to relax, hoping she'd regain strength over time.

She felt a warm hand on her exposed stomach, moving around in a circular motion as a voice described its process. Still, she found herself unable to regain conscious control of her body as it refused to obey, feeling somewhat violated. It was difficult to put blind faith in the person who was performing these intimate measures. Straining her ears felt like fleeing from a blank tunnel. Slowly, her mind constructed sounds into understandable articulations. The closest voice, the one she concluded had his hand upon her inseminated belly, was the first to make sense, using a variety of words describing her pregnancy.

"...three months... healthy..."

"... or boy?..."

"... find... later...test..."

By now, she could tell they were asking questions pertaining to the child. All she really cared about was her own health as well as her child's. Hearing positive reports allowed the last of her body's tension to dissipate, and she felt her head roll to the side of what she concluded to be a pillow filled with the softest substances. The silk case kissed her cheek with cool lips, contrasting the still warm glow of her face.

"...moved...!...awake...?"

"...really...?"

"... weak... few...rest..."

"...plan...wedding...started..."

"...I'm...not...rush...just...make...sure...she's...okay..."

The last voice belonged to her fiancé. A grin plastered across her face; the sound of his voice was like the sun after a storm, which perfectly described her current situation. Still, she found herself a bit discontent with the fact her child's father had to learn of her pregnancy from a doctor while she lay unconscious and unable to move as she pleased. Could nothing go as planned?

"She's awake!" exclaimed another voice, the first complete sentence she could comprehend since she'd fainted. "Raine, are you okay?"

Raine gave a monotone moan, opening her eyes for the first time in what felt like ages. Her eyes were greeted to a bright blur; a set of magitechnology lights glowed on the ceiling, and she blinked twice to regain a stronger sense of sight against the visual smear.

The doctor folded his arms and nodded with reassurance. "Looks like the medicine is starting to work. She may be groggy for a little while though," he said, looking directly at Lloyd who had been sitting in a chair anxiously awaiting her safe awakening. The swordsman's spirits brightened enough for a smile to break through. He thanked the doctor. "I'll be right down the hall if you need me," the doctor added before leaving the room.

"Sis, can you hear me?" Genis asked, climbing onto the bed carefully and setting his body's weight on his knees. He towered over her and looked into her eyes, waving his fingers across her blank face for any reactions. His silver locks blocked the overhead light, making things a bit easier to see.

The Professor replied with another groan, accompanied by a soft nod. "..yes..."

Lloyd's ears perked up upon hearing her voice. He jumped from his seat a few steps away and walked over to her bedside, setting his hands on the edge, palm-side down, and leaned in. "Feeling better, Raine?"

"Ye-yes. I'm fine now." She sat up, pulled her weight up, and rested her back against the headboard. Looking around concluded she wasn't in the Flanoir doctor's office as she had previously suspected. This room was much more high class, one made for royalty. A row of red wine plush chairs lined the wall opposite her bed with matching decorative wallpaper behind them. Faux stone pillars accented the four corners of the room. Delicate orange light glowed in the room from the closed window just off to the side, giving the time of day to be evening.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Lloyd smiled through his eyes and rubbed her hand.

"Sorry to worry you. What happened?"

"You fainted," explained her brother, conveniently leaving out the chain of events that occurred before her falling out. "The doctor said you were stressed out and had a fever Probably from school and teaching. Raine, you gotta be careful, especially since you're pregnant. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Me either."

Raine nodded. "I know. The fever must have been from my pregnancy."

The swordsman got closer, sitting on the edge of the bed, and took the Professor's hand in his. The feeling of Lloyd's weight on her bed was rather familiar for the both of them, bringing back some pleasant and intimate memories. Genis glared at Lloyd, embracing her other hand with both of his, feeling a bit threatened. The adjustment would not be without pain, which was understandable. He felt like he was competing with Lloyd for his sister, a completely untrue statement, but the heart has a mysterious way of tricking the mind into believing lies. They were both her family and both very important to Raine. One was raised from infancy. The other was taught for several years, while teaching the Professor lessons no textbook could accurately describe. In unity, there is rivalry. Hopefully the feuding could end before it was too late. What would she do if she was torn between her brother and her fiancé in a battle of the heart?

"You knew you were pregnant, didn't you?" He had been waiting to ask that question for quite some time. The thought of being a father overjoyed him, as well as frightened him, but it was a challenge he was more than willing to take head on. He learned from the mistakes of his past, he payed the price of his father's burdens. He'd seen Heaven turn against the world. Now this Gentle Idealist would teach his seed how to see the world through eyes of hope, determination, and forgiveness.

"Uh..." Raine broke her hand away from his. She placed it on her cheek and rested for a moment. "I had suspicions near the end of the school year, when things started to get strange and my body started doing things. Then when I did a home test, I was positive." She remembered that night vividly. It had been a cool day, one of the coolest the entire week, some time near late afternoon when the world was slowly making its transition into early evening. She had half a mind to release the class early. Her fever fogged her memories, making it hard to grade papers and concentrate during lectures. In fact, Lloyd noticed something strange about his fiancé, but she avoided eye contact with him. After spending a nice amount of time with the Professor, he grew accustom to her personal tactics, and his eyes could see through hers, making it nearly impossible to hide anything.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" His voice was calm, though he wasn't very pleased with the answer.

"Because it would have interrupted your studies for the final exams," replied the Professor, throwing her index finger into the air and tilting her head to side as if she was in lecture mode. "I planned to tell you some time around now, but the fainting incident was unexpected."

"Raine!" Genis pouted, rolling his eyes with his head slumped over. It was a reason only she could get away with. "Ugh... never mind."

"You spoke with the doctor about the child, correct? What did he say?" She put a hand to her stomach, feeling around for movements.

"Yeah. He said the baby's healthy and you're about two or three months along."

Genis cleared his throat loudly. "Lloyd, don't you remember?"

"Huh?" grumbled the swordsman with a blank look on his face.

"Grr! You've forgotten already? Seriously, Lloyd, what IS the extent of your brain's capacity?" the mage asked, a sarcastic look on his face.

"Shut it, Genis!" Lloyd shot back. "I really don't rem-OH!" He nodded. "I remember now."

"Finally," mumbled the academy student under his breath.

Lloyd hopped off Raine's bed, much to her disappointment. He read her eyes as they asked for his reasons for leaving her. Grabbing her hand again, he stroked it suggestively, his fingers playing with her engagement ring. The feeling of his flesh against hers was so tantalizing.

"I promised Genis I'd leave once you woke up so you two could talk. This would be a good time to talk to the doctor anyway and get some information on, erm, child care. I've never changed a diaper in my life..."

"Alright already! She's already pregnant! Just GO!" Genis shooed Lloyd away, waving his hand in the direction of the door.

"Ah, I see. Alright then," Raine nodded, fixing her sheets. With a nod and a smile, he left the room, closing the door behind him softly.

In the back of her mind, she had a feeling he wanted to talk, maybe because she wanted to listen. This was unlike anything that had happened between them before. Ever since his birth, he'd been with Raine; he grew up seeing her face every morning, feeling her hand against his backside every time he broke a lamp, and her embrace every time he hurt himself. Genis had to know the same boundaries would stay in place and what things would never change. He knew she'd always be his sister, but deep in his heart, something was cracking, breaking, bleeding, and only her recognition, only her reassuring voice could stop the breakage before it was too late.

"Speak your mind, Genis," she said a few moments after Lloyd exited. She turned to face him, making her eyes as soft as possible. "What's wrong?"

Feeling the coast was clear, he moved closer to her, resting near the edge with his legs crossed. He sat with his head drooped down, playing with his fingers in a childish manner, and took in a deep breath before starting. "We-well... I got your letter in Palmacosta the day after you sent it. I could have come earlier, but I just didn't... sorry, but it didn't feel right. I needed time."

"I figured something like that would happen." Writing that letter was harder than she expected. Her trash can was filled to the brim with crumbled rough drafts, as she found herself unable to put her unbridled joy into words without hurting her brother anymore than he needed to be.

"Of course not, Genis. I'm not expecting you to accept Lloyd as your brother-in-law as easily as I'd like. That's just a matter of life. All I ask is that you give him a chance and try to see him the way he's opened my eyes. You two have been best friends for as long as I can remember."

"...I don't want that to change." Tears streamed down his face, rolling off his chin and onto the comforter. "I-I don't want to lose you, Raine. I don't want to lose Lloyd either."

Raine reached over and wiped the tears away from her brother's distraught cheeks. "Genis. Listen to me. I will always be your sister; we will always be family. Always. That will never change. Lloyd will always be your friend for as long as you two choose to be."

Genis looked up and began to sob. His chest rose and fell as he tried to regulate his breathing, failing miserably. So many times the Professor had seen such a face, especially when he asked about the past, that painful past she wished to not speak of anymore. "Promise?"

"I promised the moment you were born. What reason do I have to break it now?" Raine replied.

"You-you're right. Thanks, Raine." He ran the back of his hand across his eyes, sniffling twice, and grabbed a tissue from the box on the dresser.

She just answered with a nod.

"Raine, can I ask you a serious question?"

The Professor's ears perked up. "Like?"

"Well, you got to actually see Mom and Dad before everything happened...their faces I mean... and... I was just wondering..."

She knew it was coming, but bracing for a fall doesn't stop the pain. She tried to maintain strong eye contact through the unbearable urge from her eyes to water relentlessly.

"Do you miss Mommy and Daddy?"

Raine looked down and closed her icy blue eyes against the hurt. The most painful question anyone could ask her, and it had to be from her own brother. But why would he ask such a thing?

x x x x x x x x

After a few days of bed rest, the doctor released Raine with the command to get more rest and stay away from as much stress as possible. She obeyed commands, and Lloyd made it a priority to keep tabs on her as much as possible. Between the three of them, everything had been patched up, and nothing else remained to be asked, questioned, protested, or corrected; there was nothing more to say. A weight had been lifted from all of their shoulders. It was time to move forward. It was time to live, love, dream, marry, and be happy forevermore.

Like a flower blooming before the rising sun, Raine was opened up to so many possibilities. For the first time in her life, she could finally use her feminine imagination to plan the wedding of her dreams. She felt as if she was a toddler in a toy store, or rather an archeologist with special permissions to inspect a new set of recently discovered artifacts. Either way, she couldn't be any more exhilarated. Being selfish was a difficult task. Her entire life consisted of making choices that benefited the greater good and she often sacrificed her own happiness. Now she was to choose things for herself, as well as her fiancé, though Lloyd stayed as neutral and lenient as possible.

After much contemplation, the decision was made: they would wed in Heimdall, village of the Elves. Each had a connection, though the Professor's was obviously the strongest. Within their forest, Lloyd fought his angelic father for the right to bear a pact, and won. For Raine, it was the land of her birth, her parent's wedding, and the beginning of her exile. She assured him she had no intentions of digging up cold graves by choosing this location. Though, in all honesty, no matter where they wed, there would always be something of a strong connection to their past, even Iselia.

But first, they would need permission. Walking through the Ymir forest was a journey to the past for both of them; everything felt so familiar, as if it had only been yesterday since they used the Sorcerer's Ring to call trouts and eagles, let butterflies listen to their hearts, and planted flowers to bloom. The memories were melancholy, but rather than dwindle on them, Raine kept her eyes closed for most of the walk.

Their destination was the Elder's House. Raine called in early a few days before her arrival, and the guards cleared her and Lloyd to enter. She earned a few strange looks from some of the villagers, but nothing as harsh as she would have gotten had it been years ago. She kept her head up, making sure her face was stern, as if she was teaching back in the schoolhouse. Lloyd stood by her side, putting his hand on her shoulder and smiling in only a way he could. And she relaxed, finding confidence in his touch. It was like magic, the kind too pure and wonderful for Mana to produce.

Lloyd knocked on the Elder's door and took a step back. Within a matter of seconds, it swung open. Before them stood an old acquaintance, if not a friend in the strangest of sorts. His appearance hadn't changed much: long silver hair combed back, now reaching his lower half, sharp facial features that demanded authority, and long, pointed ears, the pride of all pure blood elves. Each waited for the other to make the first move.

"Raine and Lloyd. I've been expecting you. Come in."

The two obeyed commands, stepping inside. The Elder closed the door behind them, setting his staff aside and against the closest wall.

"Thank you for having us on such short notice," Raine said, brave enough to speak first.

The Elder gave a soft nod. "It's an honor to have the Heros of the Welgaia War in our village, especially for such a joyous occasion."

"Is that what they call us now?" Lloyd asked with a chuckle. "Wow..."

"We've come to ask permission to hold our wedding here, on this date." She pointed to a piece of paper she had recently pulled from her pocket, clearly detailing every aspect of the wedding. It wasn't enough to just get married for her. During the previous weeks before arriving in Heimdall, Raine took the time to write out minute to minute schedules, contact information, prices, locations, and names. Organization was key, second only to the bride and groom themselves. Lloyd just nodded and pretended to understand.

The Elder looked it over with scrutinizing eyes, nodding in agreement to himself. "Everything seems to be in order. You have my permission."

"Thank you, Elder."

Lloyd and Raine stood to leave, one step closer to finally becoming one for the rest of their lives.

"You're welcome, Professor Sage. Consider it a wedding blessing from Heimdall."

Raine stared at him for a moment with a strange glint in her icy blue eyes. A blessing from the village that ostracized her family decades ago? "A blessing..."

"...Raine?" Lloyd turned around, grabbing her hand to break her train of thought.

"Oh, nothing. Let's go, Lloyd."

"Thanks again, Elder," the swordsman tugged on Raine's arm, pulling her out of the house. The Elder closed the door behind them. "What's wrong?" he asked once they'd reached the entrance to the Ymir forest.

She stopped walking, turning her gaze to the cloudless diamond blue skies. She used her palm to shield her eyes from the sun's intense light. "I just thought to myself about how many curses turned out to be blessing for me."

x x x x x x x x

The dress was a bit more time consuming than originally planned. Her pregnancy interfered with size matters. Large was too big and she couldn't squeeze into smaller sizes. At Zelos' suggestion, Raine decided to have her dress custom made in Meltokio by some of the best designers. She complained about the cost, waiting to stay somewhat conventional, but Lloyd wouldn't hear a word of it. Money was no object to him, as he acquired a nice sum after the World Regeneration. Before leaving for Derris Kharlan, Kratos left his son all his fortunes which totaled to an amount that still boggled his mind, though he would have easily traded it all to spend time with his father. Maybe that's why Raine was hesitant to spend such an amount, but he insisted. Lloyd was still hot-headed. She'd learn to love it.

"Miss Sage," asked one of the lead designer after taking Raine's measurements, "do you have any preferences for your dress?"

"No, not really. I haven't gone shopping for clothing in quite a while."

Her dirty blonde designer jumped up, scanning the Professor's body up and down as she nodded to herself, occasionally grunting. She quarreled with her own mind before coming to a conclusion that satisfied every part of her conscious. "That's fine, Miss Sage. We'll work together until we find something you're happy with."

"If I may make another awesome suggestion," offered Zelos who had been sitting down in the back of the room. He made his way to the Professor, earning a few heart-shaped stares from the shop's female employees. "I can see you in an exquisite hourglass-based style. You have the body for it, even with little Lloyd Junior sticking out."

"I agree with Mister Wilder. Is that okay with you, Miss Sage?" the designer asked with a giggle.

Raine rolled her eyes and sighed. "Since I have no reason to disagree, I'll try it."

"I'll be right back with some sketches then," she announced before dashing somewhere in the back of the store.

"Where's Lloyd?" The Professor walked around the store, looking at other items and picking out the era their designs were based on, concluding most had a strong root in the royal family's heritage.

"He's still getting fitted for his tuxedo along with Genis. Pretty awesome that Lloyd picked the shrimp to be his best man. I guess my stunning beauty was too much."

She ignored the insult, moving her attention to the jewelry section. On a wall, six receding shelves were filled with a dazzling array of tiaras, rings, bracelets, and necklaces that shined against the pure white light coming from the ceiling, causing rainbows to bounce in countless directions. "Your morals are as self centered as ever. I don't think that has anything to do with it, Zelos."

"Sure," replied the ex-Chosen with a wink. "We'll just go with that."

Raine arched her back a bit, moaning with discomfort. It felt like every day she gained a bit more weight. She even started to acquire a taste for things no self respecting human (or elf) would combine in the same meal. From pasta, to toothpaste, to fish, to mint chocolate chip ice cream: nothing was safe from her lunch-time mixing bowl. The conversations between the Professor and Lloyd pertaining to her new found eating habits were of the utmost hilarity for anyone within earshot. She'd growl and demand mayonnaise be drizzled over her blueberry pancakes. Lloyd would look on in horror, eye twitching speechless as her icy blue eyes glared at him for not obeying commands.

The designer returned with a dress in her hand, not nearly as detailed as the others. She assured Raine it wouldn't be her final design, just one used for measurements. Deep down, something on the inside resurrected, and she convinced herself this was how her mother felt over twenty years ago, before everything happened. The mirror smiled as she stood up and allowed the designer to make adjustment with a package of pins, stomach protruding, yet her beauty remained unhindered. She couldn't help but smile back.

A few moments later, a knock sounded at the door. Zelos stood and answered it, complaining that his fingers were too precious to handle a commoner's doorknob.

"Whoa, Shrimp! Have you grown taller or did you forget to comb your hair again?"

"Oh, shut up, Zelos!" Genis pushed his way through the redhead.

Zelos shrugged and sat back down. "I was trying to compliment you."

Raine turned around to face Genis, finding her eyes instead meeting a brown gaze."I'm all done with my fitting," Lloyd said.

"Then everything else is done," she replied, trying to visualize her wedding to-do list. "Once the dress is finished."

"Is that the dress?" he asked, eyeing her current attire.

She put her hand to her stomach, rubbing her palm against the material until she remembered what she was wearing. "No. This is just a fitting."

For some reason, neither had noticed the room was completely silent. The assistants retreated to the shop's back with their measurements. Zelos somehow slipped out of the room with one of the clerks for her lunch break. Genis sat in a chair, half asleep.

"Oh... you look beautiful though. I can't wait to see you in the real dress." His voice was as smooth as ever, like velvet.

The Professor turned her head to the side, lowing her eyes to avoid her cheek's blush reflecting in the mirror. The assistants oohed and ahhed while biting their lips to contain the giggles. Such words were priceless, but even more priceless coming from him. The definition of beauty varied from person to person, and just a while ago, Raine wouldn't even consider taking it any further had the word escaped his lips, but now it was so much more special because he meant it. And, well, it was true. Even without her hair done or makeup applied, she was stunning.

Lloyd bit his bottom lip. "... Did I say something wrong?"

"No-no. You didn't," she replied in a soft voice, rubbing her eyes. "I just have something in my eye."

The oldest trick in the book, and Lloyd wasn't too fool by it. Still, he let it go, feeling the answer would come with due time, or maybe it had something to do with her pregnancy. But as he sat down waiting for her to finish, he realized it was the first time, to his knowledge at least, anyone had called her beautiful.

x x x x x x x x

And then nightfall came; another day passed, and she was one more closer to the biggest decision of her life. Before hundreds, maybe even thousands, she'd stand and proclaim her matchless commitment to one and one only, a bond of the heart that is to remain unbroken by all things human, elf, and Heaven sent. Something in the depths of her stomach tingled as if she was falling in the cool air above, falling through the sky, weightless. Is this how all brides feel?

Though the moonlight kissed her face, she found herself unable to sleep with eyes wide open. Looking up with her hand on her back, she scanned the stars. There was nothing else to distract her: all planning had been completed. Soon, a week to everyone else, though it felt like eternity to her, she'd be in his arms, bound in holy matrimony. A lot was on the line here, mainly trust, and all eyes were on them. Professor Raine Sage would marry Lloyd Irving.

After staring off into the dark nothingness of nighttime, Raine nodded, taking in a deep breath through her nose. "Yes. I'm ready."

* * *

Not one of my favorite chapters, but still, I like it. Everything that needs to be explains has been. If it hasn't, I've left it up to your imagination. Why are they getting married in Heimdall? Iselia's too boring, Exile is just wrong, and they have connections to Heimdall. Feel free to disagree. -shrug-

Once again, tried to keep the fluff to a minimum... but with Utada Hikaru's First Love and You from Samurai Champloo playing in the background, the temptation is great. -shifty eyes-

Chapter four will be the wedding! Whee! I can't wait! Until then, tootles!

Now I need sleep...


	4. Chapter 4

Dear Martel, it has been a long time. I know. Long story short, my best friend put me through the worse emotional escapade I'd ever been through in my entire life. For the longest time, I couldn't write, and sadly, that streak lasted for about six months. My brain is just getting over the stress. Ugh.

I proofread a few times, but I might have missed some things. Lemme know if you find anything.

I'm **so** sorry to my devoted readers. Have mercy D: Enjoy the wedding!

I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, every Desian Grand Cardinal would rock Magniu's awesome dreadlocks. _VERMIN!_

* * *

It was the time of day when all things, all creatures, all spirits, recognized the sanctity of silence and the beauty of darkness; not the darkness of evil, but the tranquility of things not seen in light, the absence of such. Everything quieted down to a hush. No voices spoke above a whisper. The animals scurried into their homes for a night's rest well deserved, nocturnal beings took to the skies, basking in the crisp, cool air. Bright yellow rays of sunlight transformed into a thick but smooth shade of white, giving a calming sense that made eyelids heavy and summoned the ritual known as sleep.

But Lloyd Irving Aurion, engaged to married in less than forty-eight hours and the most recent savior the world's seen since Ancient Wars, was wide awake with no plans of going to sleep any time soon. He slumped in an oversized chair, legs hanging over the left arm rest, elbow set down on the right, supporting the weight of his head as he stared blankly out the open doors of the balcony and into the nearby forest. Barefoot, his toes wiggled as if to remind him they still worked. His legs swung to a silent rhythm. To be perfectly accurately, he stripped down to the bare minimal of decent exposure – black sleeveless undershirt and red pants. Nothing could knock him out. The boy was far from achieving slumber.

On a solid oak table inches away lay a sheet of lined, crinkled paper, its top half defaced with scribbles and scratch outs in black ink. The swordsman occasionally gave it a passing glance, only to defer his attention to something else. The said paper contained a letter addressed to Raine, known to the world of marriage as wedding vows. A list of promises guaranteed to be upheld during the life of the marriage. It was a contract ended only by death, whether prematurely or timely. Lloyd's paper, according to him, wasn't close to half done. Writing them out turned out to be harder than he thought, and he wouldn't dare ask for someone else to do it for him. This wasn't some exam or term paper. The stakes were much higher than a grade, not to mention much more precious. But what could he promise her, other than to love and protect for the rest of his days? To be there through sickness and health, to shield her from wind and snow, to catch the teardrops from falling? To be the man of her dreams? All those terms were a given, even without saying. What was he missing?

This one question, this one paper, this one letter kept him from enjoying the unconscious state of slumber. It didn't annoy him more than it gave the boy distress. What if it wasn't good enough? What if he wasn't ready when the time called? What if he disappointed her? No-no! Lloyd shook his head, setting his mind back into motion. Thoughts like those did nothing but make the situation worse. Faith is the basis of all things wonderful. Without it, nothing but failure is possible.

He couldn't help but wonder: did Kratos have this much trouble when he embarked on the same lifetime commitment? Did he even honor her with such? Well certainly, she had enough trust in her better half to leave him with the only things she had left in the land of the living: her son and her exsphere. But alas, his birth father was light years away, drifting into the deep voids of space. As Lloyd turned his gaze up to the blackened sky, he looked for the brightest star. When it did, he smiled.

Knock. Knock.

Silence was broken by two taps at his door. In a grunt of a confusion, the swordsman looked at the clock, rubbing the back of his head. One forty-six in the morning. Who could it be at this hour of the night? Only a few people were in Heimdall for the sole purpose of preparation, except for Zelos whose main priority involved "scoring some elf chicks." He stood to his feet mumbling under his breathe as he gave a stretch and a yawn, pushing the chair out of the way, and walked to the door.

"Colette," he said, wide eyed.

"Did I wake you, Lloyd?" The ex-Chosen, dressed for bed and hair tied into a bun, stood before his door, clasped her hands together in her trademark apologetic form.

Lloyd shook his head. "N-no. I was awake. Is something wrong?" He moved to the side, signaling her to step inside.

She accepted the invitation and entered his room. The blonde looked around before returning her attention to him. "You sure I'm not bothering you? I can always come back later."

"Colette, if you really thought you were bothering me, you wouldn't have come in the first place." The brunette folded his arms and gave a sigh. No longer did he sugarcoat things for her as he had grown tired of her timid ways and far too accustomed. There was no more need for the fake smiles, the false giggles, and the mask behind the tears; they weren't performing for anyone anymore. It almost sadden him to see she'd still retreat to her scripted phrases. Old habits die hard, but he'd matured over time. Why couldn't she?

She jumped back a bit, lowering her head in shame. She felt she'd just been scolded. "You're right. I'm sorry." In defense, she did the only thing she knew how to when at a loss for words: apologize. "It's just... I can't help the feeling of regret."

"Regret?" replied Lloyd. "Regretful of what?"

"I don't know. It's hard to say, but the feeling wouldn't go away. I had to talk to you. Make sure you're okay... and stuff. I can't help but worry about you, Lloyd."

By now, Lloyd became suspicious of a much deeper matter plaguing the Chosen, more gruesome than Angel Toxicosis.

"Well, I'm all ears." He stepped away and pulled out the nearest chair, motioning her to rest in it, which she did.

"As you know, well, everyone does, a lot's changed and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately... about my life. With Mithos gone, there are so many opportunities. I mean, so far, everything's been going pretty great: Regal's company, and Presea, and Genis going to school, and the whole gang. Then you and the Professor getting married. There's even a baby on the way! I'm so happy for you, Lloyd!"

"Heh, thanks, Colette."

"Oh! I never thanked you for saving me!" Colette turned in the seat to face him best and put her hand on top of his, looking at him with diamond blue eyes. "Thank you, Lloyd. If you hadn't rescued me, I don't know what would have happened."

"You're my friend. I'd never let them take you without a fight."

"Yeah, friend." The Chosen looked almost hurt by the word, but seventeen years of training helped her bounce back. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I wanna make sure you're happy. If you're happy, I'm happy." She smiled through her eyes and gave a giggle, as false as reason for visiting.

Could it really be that easy? The peace of one's heart cannot be so easily swayed by another's; covering a truth with lies still makes it a lie and means one is unable to come to terms with the turn of events. Why couldn't she see? Why couldn't she understand?

Lloyd straightened his back against the tall of the chair and crossed his legs. "I'm living in a world I saved along with the nearest and dearest friends to my heart. My past is no longer foggy and my future is even brighter, getting better by the moment. Tomorrow, I'm going to marry the woman of my dreams. It'd be a sin not to say I'm happy."

A long silence followed. Lloyd looked at his visitor, but her attention was else where. The look on her face told him she was in a deep thought process, like a master computer coming up with an answer to the meaning of life. But the results were inconclusive, or just too hard to come to terms with.

Slowly she began to nod. "Yeah. You're happy. Then I'm happy. And you know what? I feel so much better now."

"Is that all you wanted to know?" he chuckled. "You dork. You worry too much."

"I'm sorry...just concerned with my friends. Well, you should go to sleep now," she announced while standing to her feet. "Good night and sleep well."

Lloyd walked Colette to the door and opened it for her. "Good night, Colette. Don't be afraid to talk to me about issues on your mind. We're still friends and I'll consider you one for as long as you'll let me."

One foot past in the hall, she turned to smile, blinking long and slow. "Thanks. Sweet dreams."

He closed the door slowly. The catch clicked with an echo. He listened for Colette's footsteps, making sure she got to her room safely. But no such sounds reached his angelic ears and the hallways remained silent for a few moments. Lloyd leaned against the door, straining to hear. He eventually did pick up something: soft whimpers of sobbing and the sound of a body sliding against the wall until it fell to the ground. The swordsman let out a regretful sigh.

She wished for his happiness, she wished for the best of his life, she wished for anything better than the life he would have lived had things gone as planned. Colette convinced herself it would be enough to satisfy her own wishes. But when it came to happiness, his definition of happiness, is this really what she wanted? For some reason, her heart could not see the way his did, and it hurt more than anything else. As she thought about her sacrifice, she cried.

"I'm sorry, Colette," he whispered. With that, Lloyd flipped the switch to his chandelier's light, latched the windows and doors shut, closed the curtains, and retreated to bed before taking one last look at his letter. In the middle were miniature, water-stained wrinkles. They moistened the ink, causing it to smear all over the page and rendering the words barely legible.

The tears of an angel are always the most poisonous.

x x x x x x x x

"..bu...wa...UP!"

Lloyd's snoring sang in the room and he rolled over in his bed, passing the faint voice as nothing more than a dream. As the sunlight grew brighter he pulled the comforter above his head. His legs were spread apart under the sheets, taking advantage of the space. He shifted his position in the bed, flipping over on his chest and grunted as he snuggled into his new pose. His cheek rubbed against the coolness of the exposed sheets. A few saliva-drenched pillows had fallen on the floor the night before. One of his arms teetered on the edge.

"...buuuuud... wake... up..."

The voice grew louder, becoming almost recognizable. Lloyd's ears strained to hear. His ears perked curiously. From the echo, he concluded it to be coming from a hallway. Footsteps soon followed. A part of him had hope they would pass his room, but sadly-

**KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.**

"Bud! Wake up!" Now the voice was right outside his door. Lloyd jerked out of his sleep in a scare, snatching his eyes open. "I know you're in there. Or is the Professor in there with you too?... Ooooh! She's already pregnant - the least you can do it wait a few months before you pop another one in there!"

Lloyd moaned. "Zelos..." He sighed and lifted himself from the warmth. The sheets slid down his back until his upper body was revealed and he stretched while giving a hearty yawn. He shot a look at the clock after wiping sand from his eyes. "Awww, come on! It's only seven thirty in the morning!" complained the swordsman loud enough for his obnoxious visitor to hear.

"Lloyd! You are awake!" Zelos' voice boomed through the solid wood as clear as day as he continued to violate the door with unnecessary beatings. "Now open the door. We have things to do today."

"Go away, Zelos!" growled Lloyd, sitting on the edge of his bed and picking the pillows off the floor. He hadn't waken up this early since the Journey of Regeneration, and even then, he was usually the last one to wake up.

"Don't make me use the master key," threatened the ex-Chosen as he jiggled them for proof.

Before Lloyd had time to reach the door, Zelos had already opened it, excusing himself after the fact.

"Morning!" he sang, stashing the key in his pocket and threw his hands in the air for emphasis with his eyes closed. "Ewwww-"

"What?" replied the swordsman, somewhat confused. He lifted his arm, sniffing it out of curiosity.

Bad idea. His eyes watered and he coughed as he tried to play off the stench.

Zelos folded his arms and smirked. "Dude, you really need to wash up. I know you poor people can't afford the quality bathing materials, but washing your face should be among the basics."

"..." The brunette slotted his eyes, not amused with Zelos' early morning sarcasm. True, he did have a thick, white trail of dried saliva running down the side of his mouth that lead to his cheek and some ways down his chin. "What do you expect waking me up so early in the morning?" He wiped his arm across his face to remove of it but a large portion remain. Only hot water and a washcloth could get the rest.

"Is this what Raine wakes up to in the morning?"

"I'm sure there's a reason you're bothering me at this hour," said Lloyd, changing the subject back to his rude awakening. "The wedding rehearsal isn't until later on today."

Zelos wagged his index finger. "Oh, right, right," he replied with a nod. "I'm not here about the rehearsal. Something more important than that. More... manly."

The brunette raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Manly?..." To him, the combination of "Zelos" and "Manly" was strange enough by itself but he knew there was a catch, or a trick, or worse... utter humiliation, involved.

"Yeah," he replied with a wink.

Lloyd scratched his head, clueless. "... Uhhhh..." His barely capable brain drew a blank.

The red head slumped over with surprise. "Wha-what? You mean you honestly don't know? It's only one of the biggest traditions for men about to get married. Wow, you really are a country boy."

"Zelos!" scoffed Lloyd.

"There, there, my country bumpkin. Master Zelos will teach you everything you need to know about it. First you have to get washed up." Without warning, he snatched Lloyd's arm and ran in the direction of his bathroom, throwing him inside. The swordsman stumbled backwards, breaking his fall on the toilet. Before he closed the door, Zelos quickly reached in and locked it. "Get nice and clean, Bud. Girls don't like stinky men... well, maybe ones with head colds, but your body odor could melt pure Aionis."

"Dammit it, Zelos! Wait until I-"

Covering his ears and closing his eyes, Zelos babbled like a five year old. "La la la la la la! I'm not listening!" he sang as he walked out of the room. "I'll be waiting in the Ymir Forest when you're done."

The door slammed moments later. Lloyd sighed. It was no use... plus a shower couldn't hurt. Shrugging, he pulled his shirt over his pants and proceeded to unbutton his pants.

x x x x x x x x

Somewhere down the hall and across the wing, a mother and unborn child slept peacefully as one, Aselia's own Sleeping Beauty. Soft silver hair cascaded over her cheeks and covered her eyes, blocking out small bits of sunlight that broke through her bay windows. Thick curtains suspended from solid, polished gold rods. Her arm was draped over her protruding stomach, vibrating with the subtle kicks inside. When she moved the slightest bit, soft silk sheets kissed her skin as a mattress containing memory alloys hugged her body. Had it not been for her urge to sleep, she'd would have spent more time researching it than sleeping on it.

The Professor's room was the farthest away, receiving the least amount of noise from guests' trafficking, despite the fact the entire wing had been reserved for the wedding party alone. Though not prone to sleeping past dawn, her offspring demanded longer hours, leaving her with no choice to obey. Though he preferred to kick, keeping up her most of the night. After a while, she got used to it, reminding herself it meant the child was alive and healthy.

A rumbling roared from within herself: the distinguished cry of hunger. With a moan, one eye opened, then the other. She blinked away the sleep. Her vision started in a dark blur as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, scanning the ceiling. She tried to place the molding's style to a time period. King Maleston. Asgard? No, that's not right.

Reaching over, she clicked on the desk lamp and felt around for her watch. Two in the afternoon.

Sleeping in actually felt... good. She was still somewhat drowsy, but it was a relaxed drowsy – the kind that fades away with time. For years, she considered missing class in the name of an "extra five minutes" an act of sacrilege.

As she wondered how she could possibly sleep so late into the afternoon, someone tapped the door and mumbled something inaudible from the outside.

"Come in," called Raine from in bed.

The door opened and in walked Genis. He stayed at the door, closing it behind him. "Are you awake, Raine?" As he walked, it was evident something occupied his hands, though he kept to the shadows as he waited for a reply.

"Yes, I am." She peeled back three layers of sheets and blankets before removing the pillows and sitting upright with her back against the headrest.

Within moments of his arrival, the smell of food reached Raine. Her stomach growled again.

"I brought you some breakfast." The half elf stepped into the small ray of sunlight, revealing a silver platter which held a covered plate, a glass of liquid believed to be orange juice, and utensils. He lifted the platter above his head and kept his eyes on the floor as he made his way to her bed. "I made it myself."

"Thank you, Genis."

Genis turned out to be the chef of the house, despite his age. He taught himself how to work the oven at six, learned how to stop burning himself by seven, and started cooking for himself and Raine on a regular basis by eight. Genis' home cooked meals were always special. Back in Iselia, whenever he had time, he'd run to the store in town, pick up ingredients, and concoct something only a scientist could think of. A strong relationship ensued between Genis and the shopkeepers to the point of first name basis and it became a tradition to see his face lurking through the market place sometime after school, squeezing the fruits to check their freshness or giving the morning's catch, fresh from Palmacosta, a light poke. He had an eye for those sorts of things and his elven blood helped him feel the mana: the stronger the mana, the fresher the catch. Though they asked for his techniques for finding the best ingredients every so often, his true skills remained a secret.

"Did you wanna eat here or sit at your table?" he asked, nudging his head in the direction of her desk a few feet away. "Or you could eat in the dining hall. Come to think of it, there's a clear sky outside."

The Professor scooted to the edge of her bed, pulling down her shirt and put on a robe. She stood to her feet and stretched. "The table would be most appropriate."

When Raine stood to her feet, both made their way to the small hardwood table surrounded by padded, armed chairs. Genis arrived first and gently laid the silver platter down before running to the opposite side.

"Here you go, Raine," he said as he pulled out a chair for his sister.

"Thank you, Genis." Raine shuffled her way along the five feet distance from her bed to the table. The aroma grew stronger as she got closer, and she closed her eyes to take it all in. She was expecting a traditional breakfast, but something about the smell triggered long, dormant memories of years ago to a time in a different world when her biggest worries involved having time for reading and fishing in the stream with her father for dinner. It brought back everything she had left behind that fateful morning, that fateful night. Everything came back at once: the festivals in Heimdall, the traditions, as well as the screams, the fighting, the blood. It reminded her of everything fate and inequality took away. What scent could possibly resurrect so many memories so fast?

"Raine, what's wrong?" Genis peered at his sister curiously from the light switch on the wall, flipping it on. She grunted and covered her eyes until they adjusted to the sudden intensity of light. "Did I do something?"

For a moment, she was speechless, mouth agape and head tilted to the ground, unable to say anything back. Her eyes drifted from one thing to another. One arm wrapped around her expanding stomach, and the other supported her cheek with her fingers running through her soft, silver hair and palm warming her forehead. She massaged her temple with her thumb.

Somehow, she managed to blurt out a reply. "... no... I'm fine..." The awkward silence made it uneasy for the both of them.

Reaching her seat which Genis had pulled out moment before, Raine sat down and shuffled herself into a comfortable position. She kept her elbows off the table, like a proper lady, placing them on the arm rest instead, and waited for her brother to join her.

Genis smiled and returned to take his place to face her. After he pulled in his seat, he lifted the top from Raine's platter, revealing her meal. Rows of steam waved from the delicacy, vanishing into the air moments later. A piece of bread toasted to perfection lay on a separate plate, melted spots showing signs it had been buttered. In the top right corner, a glass of orange juice mirrored it, beside that was another glass filled with a clear liquid believed to be water. Freshly picked and sliced fruit completed the side dishes. But what most intrigued her was the main dish; it was familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Its scent was now much stronger, but it brought back only nameless memories. She felt as if she was being engulfed in it. Was it a surprise meal or a journey to the past?

"Um...I-" Genis broke her daze once again. "I made it myself."

Raine looked up and cleared her throat before lifting her fork to cut off a small piece. "It looks delicious," she replied with a warm smile and proceeded to eat the portion on her fork.

Genis looked on in anticipation as she chewed, eagerly awaiting a positive review. "... Well?" he inched, coaxing her on.

Blurry pictures became clearer, distance voices suddenly became louder - it was almost magical. "... Genis, what exactly is this?... What's it called?"

The half elf gave his sibling a weird look. "You don't know? Really?"

"I do... but... it's..." With her free hand, she rubbed her forehead, massaging the words stuck in memories from long ago.

After ages of pondering, Genis sighed and revealed his elaborate scheme. "It's Gloria de Ymir. Yesterday, I asked around to see if anyone remembered us. The village elder told me you absolutely loved to have it for breakfast and at festivals. I thought it would be a nice surprise."

Her face was caught between a cry and a smile. Slowly, she nodded. "I thought so. Thank you, Genis. I appreciate it. The only thing is... it brings back memories."

"Are they good memories?" He anchored his elbows on the table, supporting the weight of his head on his fists which tilted sideways.

The meal sparked a heavy conversation about things he wasn't born early enough to remember. Raine tried to remain nonchalant and neutral, but her tone changed according to what she was talking about, and he used it as a guide to ask more questions or back down or risk breaking her from her trance.

The stories she told made him look at his sister differently, in a positive way. Her development could only be described as glorious - Heaven couldn't have given her a greater challenge. Genis couldn't even begin to imagine leaving his Iselian life, running away for years, and being thrust into adulthood at such an age. He wasn't ready for it now, let alone any years younger. How amazing his sister was for everything she had done and everything she was doing.

He knew what he had to do.

"Wow...," replied the mage, wide eyed. "Daddy really did that?"

"Yes. I was only able to see half of it though," Raine said before taking another sip of orange juice.

Genis took a deep breath. "Say, Raine." He slouched over the table, resting his head on his arms as he gazed at his sister.

"Hmm?" she sang.

"Zelos told me it's traditional for everyone to get the bride and groom a present for the wedding."

Raine eyed him curiously. By the look on his face, she knew he was planning something, otherwise he'd have kept it secret. "Why that may be true, you're not required to get me anything."

He shook his head. "But I _want_ to get you something! Everything got me thinking I've been spoiled over the years. I know I can't do anything to fully repay you, but the least I can do is try."

"Your support is reassuring, and that's enough for me. For both of us, I'm sure."

Pushing the chair back, Genis stood to his feet and leaned over on the table. Palms flat, he arched his back and looked her in the eye. "But it's not, Raine. For you, but not for me. I feel like I owe you so much more. Is there anything you want? Anything at all?" Sincerity sang in his voice and his icy blue eyes glistened on the brink of tears. He'd do anything, anything at all for her.

"Genis, really. I want nothing more than to be a family. You, Lloyd, and me together. That is the greatest gift of all." She reached out her hands to touch his face, holding his soft cheeks against her palms. Despite aging, Genis still felt as warm and familiar as he did when he was first given to her - and for that reason, among others, he would always be her baby brother.

The liquid blockage was broken, and tears began to fall like a great river, creating a small puddle on the table. He continued to lean over and placed his hands on her arms, still feeling inadequate as he sobbed. Though he cried, in this moment with her, he'd never felt so secured. She would always be his sister.

_Family. I want nothing more than to be a family._

"Okay. We'll be a family." He wiped his eyes and nodded.

"That's good to hear."

"But," he said quickly, "I'm still getting you a gift."

"If you must," she replied. "It doesn't have to be anything fancy."

"No, no," the mage laughed, waving his hands. "It's something much more special. Just you wait!" Genis smiled through bloodshot eyes and returned all the dishes and silverware to the platter, replacing the top. He grabbed the handles and lifted it, balancing the weight. "I'll take this to the kitchen for you."

"Alright." Behind his young eyes, Raine could sense a plan formulating in his mind, one no amount of protest could deter - he'd grown to be just as strong willed as her. He was changing from the inside out, like a butterfly in a cocoon. She couldn't see inside, and into what, she couldn't tell - blind faith took over. Lloyd taught her to let things be as they come, and followed the rule, letting him be. The only choice was to trust him. With a sigh, she let her suspicions go, if only for the moment. Whatever he wanted to do was for her benefit. Genis meant no harm, right?

"I'll see you later, Raine," he said, making his way to the door.

Raine remained seated, feeling stuffed from the meal and a little fatigued. "Thank you again for the meal, Genis. The rehearsal starts at nightfall in the main hall."

"I know. I wouldn't forget." After struggling with the platter for quite some time, he managed to get the door open and ran away before she could say anything else.

Raine sat still, staring at the door as she pondered the sum of his intentions once again.

_Family. I want nothing more than to be a family._

"Dear Martel, just what is he planning?"

x x x x x x x x

It was an hour before nightfall in Heimdall. Visibility dimmed down thanks to the excess in trees blocking the smooth, orange glow. Things quieted down around the surrounding forest, and villagers retreated home after a long day's work to return to their families, surely looking forward to a meal and a well deserved night of sleep. Shadows danced to a silent rhythm on the dirt paths and grass as a brisk wind played puppet master, giving a bit of relief to the warmer afternoons. Some of the night lights were turned on around the village, illuminating high traffic areas for those traveling at late hours. Time ticked away in its steady pace, unable to be hastened or hindered by worldly force, unable to be stopped by none but the heart. The world prepared for slumber.

"Bud, wait up!" screamed the red head. His red hair stuck to his the sweat on his face as he failed to keep up with the pace of his companion's steps. Sweating made the ex-Chosen feel unclean, and had it been any other situation, he'd have been worried on his status of his hygiene. But at the current moment, he had a much bigger problem to deal with. "Lloyd, wait!" He hastened his steps into a light jog, periodically combing his hair from his eyes.

Some ten feet ahead, the swordsman stomped his way through the village. His boots made miniature craters in the tightly paced dirt road. Cheeks red with anger, he struggled to keep himself for attacking Zelos, and a series of veins pushed against his skull, ready to pop if pressured any further. The night's escapade proved catastrophic, leaving the groom-to-be highly upset and wanting nothing more than to be as far away from the spoiled gigolo. Along with a long, hot shower. "Get away from me, you... you... you perverted IDIOT!" Lloyd yelled back. He stopped for a moment to turn around and wave his hand, emphasizing his disgust.

Zelos used the delay to shorten the distance between them. He ran up to Lloyd, catching his breath in a pant before speaking. "Whoa, whoa, such language. Let's talk about this like men."

"Why? Why did I even agree to go with you?" he cried, asking the darkening sky which gave him no answer. "I should have known you'd do something like that! It was all a trap!" Lloyd spun around on heels.

Regaining his posture, the redhead tilted his back and folded his arms. "...I ... thought you knew where we were going," he replied with a casual shrug, unable to comprehend Lloyd's reasons for being angry.

The brunette growled in distress as he tightened his body and he balled his fists, half tempted to let one collide with Zelos' face. "NO! I didn't!"

"Hmm... I guess county people don't enjoy the same leisure activities as the rest of the world."

"Leisure? You took me to a room full of naked women! How is that leisure? I'm getting married, you idiot!"

"First off, they weren't naked. At least two were wearing nightgowns. Sheer, but nonetheless clothing. So they weren't technically naked." Bending the truth without making it a lie was his specialty. "Secondly," Zelos continued with his finger in the air, "lighten up. Bachelor parties are a Rite of Passage for engaged men. Everyone does it."

The "Rite of Passage" ended before it had began. After being forced to shower and dress early in the morning, Lloyd was dragged half way across Aselia in a dragon-drawn carriage, to a secret location somewhere in Altamira. During the ride, he was blindfolded and pleas fell on deaf ears as Zelos babbled on in his immature, childlike form with his fingers in his ears, refusing to answer questions until their destination had been reached. The swordsman had a bad feeling and his fears were confirmed when he found himself trapped in a small room filled with scantily clad women and the only exit blocked by the perpetrator himself, smiling ear to ear.

"Ugh! I feel so dirty!" cried Lloyd, pulling on his hair in agony. "Tonight is going to haunt me forever and it's all your fault!"

"My _fault_? But I paid good money and planned the entire thing myself. The least you could do is give me a little thank you."

"Gah, shut up!" he commanded. "I don't want Raine to find out about this! I don't want anyone to find out! It never happened!" Even in the darkness, Zelos could see the redness of his buddy's cheeks and the subsequent embarrassment playing on his face, finding Lloyd's sense of innocence and purity rather humorous. Those were things the ex-Chosen had lost years ago.

"Aww, are you afraid I'll blackmai-"

"It. Never. Happened." His voice was stern and commanding. Each word dropped in the air like a stone and he wagged his finger to match the tempo.

"Fine, fine," the redhead retreated with a sigh, waving his hands in front of him as if blocking an oncoming projectile. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Zelos winked.

He groaned. "It's almost time for the rehearsal. I have to go." Waving, the swordsman turned and proceeded to the hotel room to properly prepare.

Zelos sighed to himself once more, a smirk on his face as he stood in deep thought, unmoved. He watched Lloyd's red shirt disappear into black with hastened footsteps as he ventured further into the night. Moments later, a soft thud signaled the closing of a door.

"Enjoy this night, for it shall be your last. As a free man."

x x x x x x x x

Showered and changed, Lloyd joined the rest of the bridal party and assembled in the inn's biggest room when the sun set for rehearsal, filling in the limited space rather quickly. The room itself was no grand ball room: standard lamps for lighting, dull wood floors, and generic paintings lining the log wood doors, but its size was sufficient for its purpose. The ceremony itself was planned to be held outside, near the entrance of forest, unless Gnome said otherwise. Worst case scenario, they'd flow with the chain of events and find other suitable housing for the event.

The bride and groom were the first on the scene. Both were equally anxiously awaking the day their lives become one, trying their best to calm the other down by keeping conversations lighthearted. Lloyd would an incorrect reference to a historical event and Raine, being the loving teacher she is at heart, scolded him for not remember King Menin III ruled in the Baralcolf era, not the Teun era. The love between them couldn't be more pure - it by itself had a beauty rivaled by no other.

The noise in the room resembled Iselia's school house just before Raine made her attention. The Village Elder called for order with a soothing, aged voice. It seemed as though most of the guest had arrived on time and they were ordered to line according to the predesignated marks on the floor.

Something was wrong. There was gap between Lloyd and the first groomsman - the best man's spot.

"Genis is missing."

Raine looked around the room for a moment before making eye contact with Lloyd, who shrugged. She swallowed and sighed lightly. _Don't do this to me, Genis. _

"Maybe he's just running late..."

"But he said he wouldn't forgot and he's not the type to miss appointments."

The room went dead silent after that – no one had anything to say. The look on Raine's face remained as stern as she could keep it, but her mind was a different story. She felt uneasy and struggled to regain composure.

Eventually, Colette rose to the occasion and offered to scout for the half elf. "I'll see if he's still in his room," she said before jogging out of the room.

Ten minutes later, which felt like an eternity, the double wooden doors opened and the blonde returned. She was greeted by dead silence once again. No one accompanies her, nor did her body language indicate a soon-to-follow companion.

"Did you find him?" Lloyd inquired.

"I checked his room, the dining hall, outside - everywhere I could think of." She hugged her arms close to her body as she spoke, keeping her head down to avoid eye contact. "I even asked around. No one's seen him since lunch time."

"... he left my room around lunch time..." Raine kept her suspicions to herself, having no validity to fuel them except her own conclusions.

The Elder, standing at his position between the engaged couple, turned to Raine. "What do you want to do?"

"..."

Colette clasped her hands together in her familiar form while tilting her head to the side, looking on with sympathetic eyes. "Professor Sage..."

Raine closed her eyes before opening them again. She nodded. "For now, we'll continue and go from there after rehearsal. This shouldn't be long. I'll give him an hour." But something in her icy blue eyes said otherwise, a different truth. She'd adopted her emotionless facade once again, using it to make on the spot decisions.

x x x x x x x x

And the rehearsal continued.

The night before the wedding turned out to be less joyful than she had hoped. Missing persons, sudden changes of plans, and unfortunate events didn't sit well with the intricately planned out schedule she'd painstakingly written up before hand. In the back of her mind, a small fleet of fear wrecked havoc, able to only be subdued, yet not silenced, like guilt the subconscious cannot wash away. Would it prove to be detrimental, leading way for more irrational conclusions farther down the road? Maybe he wasn't as satisfied as he'd originally wanted her to think. Maybe he wanted his sister to rest easy by falsifying smiles while he hid his angst so she could live free and unburdened – the way she'd done for him all those years. But if that was the case, why would he do this?

By the powers of fatigue and caressing of soft, handmade pillows on her flushed cheeks, Raine found herself in the embrace of slumber within a matter of minutes after returning to her room. She laid in bed for some time with her back to the door, curled up under three layers of blankets and sheets, waiting for a knock or a call from the nearby window. But her only visitor was the kiss of night by the creamy, white moonlight. She welcomed it.

x x x x x x x x

The next morning, chaos ensued as people ran from room to room preparing for a great union. The bridal wing was kept off-limits to those not participating. In addition, all men being exiled from Raine room, especially Lloyd. Elfish tradition considered the bride and groom seeing each other before being formally given by an ordained entity bad luck, and the tradition passed on to humans as well. The legend had been passed down from generation to generation. Though not all were superstitious, none wished to offer their wedding as a test subject.

Regal and Zelos accompanied Lloyd as he began preparations, and they were later visited by Yuan. His suit alone took much longer than it should have, thanks to Lloyd having absolutely no idea how to properly wear ribbons and ties. He ended up ruining it with a row of knots, which took Regal an hour to untie. Though Zelos was the last person Lloyd wanted to see, he swallowed his disgust and allowed the ex-Chosen to help. The last he'd been dressed up was the dinner party, and that was thanks to a barrage of maid who came too close for comfort.

Meanwhile, farther down the hall, Sheena, Colette, and Presea were assigned to help Raine. Sheena knocked anxiously on the door, barging in without giving ample time for a reply. The brigade barred in as she spat out orders for retrieval of objects and pointed in the mutual directions. Colette ransacked the walk-in closet for the dress while Sheena pulled back the heavy shades from the window. Small spots of dust floated to the ground as light illuminated the once dim room – the sun reigned supreme, and Luna greeted the world with another day of life.

Raine moaned as she shifted around in her bed, disturbed by the commotion. She lifted a hand to push away pieces of hair tickling her cheek, covering her face with the thickest blanket to block out the light. When the noise became too much to endure, she groaned a bit louder and rolled on her back, preparing to open her eyes. The mother-to-be woke up in a stir as the first images to clear from the blur of the morning were pink hair styled in a neat bun and blue eyes staring at her from above.

Sheena continued to take charge and gave no mercy, dictating like a Desian Grand Cardinal, and left Raine no time to speak. Once Raine's feet landed on the ground, she was ordered to take a shower. After a meal, she slipped into her dress. Hair, makeup, and subsequent accessories succeeded like clockwork. Everything happened so fast.

Before she knew it, Raine was standing on a plush carpet at the entrance, facing a hundred or more people, and holding a bouquet of flowers under the clear blue sky. Gnome had mercy. Looking straight ahead, she saw familiar faces smiling with joy and eyes on the brink of tears, tissues capturing them. Rows of witnesses awaiting her arrival and turned to stare in awe. Gentle breezes wisped through the air, and her veil danced in the wind. But to her, everything seemed ethereal – everything felt like a dream.

To her left stood no one, just as her right. She ventured down the aisle alone which was no unfamiliar feeling, but it would be one of the past. Never again would she be alone. Her steps were graceful, and her head high, giving off a sense of victory with confidence. She looked straight on, eyes unmoved though not much could be seen from behind the chest length, semi-sheer veil hanging from her tiara. The dress was lightweight and hugged her curves, caressing the precious package lying within wait.

Her confidence was shaken as she took a closer look, realizing the same spot from the night previous remained unoccupied – Genis hadn't shown.

She stopped in her tracks, a foot or so away from her destination.

"He didn't show?" Her voice was monotone and somewhat muffled under the veil; she continued to look straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

Lloyd stepped forward to meet her, taking her hand in his. "I'm sorry, Raine."

_Genis, don't do this to me. Please._

A murmur glided over the witnesses as well as those standing at the altar.

The Elder cleared his throat. His finger marked the page in a large, hardcover book that looked older than he was. "Shall we begin?"

Raine nodded. "Yes."

He began with the blessing, speaking first in Elfish and translating into a language all could understand as he read from his book. Then came the exchanging of the vows as they turned to face each other. Lloyd fiddled in his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper covered with scratch-outs, tears, and water stains. He had no time to rewrite a revised copy for the letter itself took much longer than expected. Though its appearance seemed worn and distraught, the words it contained were beautiful and everlasting. Raine returned the favor with her vows, with promises of her own.

"The Spirit of Martel and Origin bless you. If there is anyone who has reason to object to this union, speak now or pierce thy tongue."

Moments passed and none spoke.

Until-

"...No! Nooo!" Screams came from a distance, getting closer as a figure ran towards the crowd, dressed in blue and white. Silver hair pounced around and his face glistened with sweat. "You can't do it!"

"Genis?"

He stumbled down the aisle, tripping over his feet a few times. Within moments, he stood before his sister and friend, out of breath as he panted like an animal. "Stop everything! I object!" he exclaimed, raising his hand.

The witnesses stood still.

The bridal party gasped.

The groom stared in disbelief.

And the bride froze, her face broken to pieces.

Nightmares feel so much different in the flesh.

* * *

Ooooh, plot twist! Crazy isn't it? Dun dun dunnn!

Next chapter still has to be written, but I'll try to do so within the next month. Until then, TOOTLES!


	5. Chapter 5

And here you are, ladies and gentlemen. The "final chapter" of When Students Become Teachers. Only took me 4 years to update - NEW RECORD! I apologize for the wait, but I'd rather take years writing a good chapter than a few days typing up filth. If I'm not in the mood because of things going on in my life, I can't write well. I hope this makes up for the wait. I appreciate all the comments I got encouraging me to continue. I read every single one of them. This took me a new days to write because I haven't written anything in a few years.

I'm prone to typos despite having read this story through about ten times. If you see one, let me know.

Ah well. Enjoy, my lovelies (:

I do not own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, there would be an option to have Colette fly in the Ymir forest and get the fruit. (Like, seriously? No one in that group can climb a tree?)

* * *

Her mind was spinning as though she had fallen asleep and awakened within a dream. Her face kept a consistent expression of half disappointment and half as though she expected this moment to arrive. A wave of murmurs glided through the area. None were above a whisper, but to the bride and groom, they sounded like judgmental screams. They couldn't make out exact words – they didn't have to in order to comprehend the subject of their intimate conversations. She didn't know what to say. No one knew what to say. The bridesmaids and groomsmen sensed a soft cry of help from them, though none interfered, fearing interventions from outsiders would only make the situation worse.

Genis stumbled down the carpeted walkway. He fell to his knees, which cracked under the pressure of his weight, and attempted to catch his breath while coughing up what looked like saliva with small traces of blood. "... wa-wait! Pl-please! Don't do it yet!" His body felt like fire, as though Efreet was embracing him. Blurred vision made it difficult to see, but he felt a barrage of shocked glares since he interrupted the ceremony with his grand entrance. He placed a hand on his chest to numb the vibrating pain. His fingers were pulsating and his hands were swollen and red.

Raine broke from her dreamlike state and put her mind into sister mode she developed and perfected over the years. The nonchalant expression remained on her face as she stepped forward to her brother after handing her colorful boutique to one of the bridesmaids. She bent over as far as her protruding stomach would allow and put a hand on his face. His sweat dripped on her gown as she put placed her palm on his cheek. Their eyes met slightly, and though vision made hazy thanks to the veil, he could sense the mana within her eyes had dulled down. She was fighting back, pleading, pretending that everything would be okay. "Why, Genis?"

He felt a sharp pain in his chest from his heart as the pain from Raine's voice resonated within him She spent years perfecting the mask that covered her feelings; she had a face for every situation and trained herself to whip it out whenever necessary. She spent a lifetime calming the temptations of selfishness in favor of his fortune. Genis knew he was hurting her, breaking her heart in a way only he could, only family could. It was not his intention but the pain didn't subside. Half her life was spent sacrificing everything she could have had for him; in all this, she asked for one thing, yet he found a way to ruin it – to break the silent promise they made just nights before. Was nothing sacred, nothing precious, nothing off limits when it came to her finding a reward for the years of blood, sweat, and tears she paid in order to make a life for them?

"... Raine," he gasped between sharp breaths, "I-I'm sorry. Not yet! Someone's missing."

Raine tilted her head to the side as she tried to determine who could be missing. She shot a glance at the witnesses, the elder, the bridal party, then back at Genis. Confused, the others did so as well while continuing to converse among themselves. She was unable to determine who was "missing" from the halted ceremony, but tried to remain content knowing she would soon find out.

"Do you have an objection to this union?" asked the elder conducting the ceremony. His eyes were cold, silently rebuking the boy. "Speak now and defend your reasoning."

"No... it's not that." The half elf somehow found the strength to stand on his own two feet. "There's just someone very important missing. I couldn't let Raine's happiest moment pass by without her."

"Who, Genis?" Lloyd stepped forward and grabbed Raine's hand. He could feel her trembling; he sensed the anger, the disappointment, the bitterness, undulating within her like a thunderstorm of pure emotion. In a single moment, torment and realization had been born deep within the depths of her heart. Her mind quarreled instead of giving her the comfort she so desired in her time of need. All those emotions and feelings she thought she had defeated were coming back. The feeling of his hand gave her solace and broke up the internal strife, if only for a moment.

"Um," he replied while looking in the direction he had just come from. "Just a sec." With that, he sprinted back and disappeared into the forest once again.

The side conversations and murmurs picked up once Genis' figure was no longer in sight. Even the bridal party joined in, speculating what the boy could possible find important enough to interrupt such an occasion.

Presea was the first one brave enough to speak. "Raine, Lloyd. I'm sure he has a reason."

Raine nodded. "I'm sure he does."

_Genis, please. I'm begging you. For once... don't do this to me._

All turned to the entrance of the forest as the sounds of footsteps grow louder and louder, eyes glued to the black void in anticipation. The conversations stopped and the area was dead silent. After a few moments, it became apparent there were two sets of footsteps slowly making their way closer. Raine grew curious as an aura of uncertainty within her mind. She tightened the grip on her husband's hand. He placed another on top of hers, caressing and reassuring her in a way only he could.

"Come on. We're almost there." Suddenly, Genis stepped onto the walkway hand in hand with another. His voice cooed her as he waved in the direction of the bridal party. The visitor seemed slightly reluctant to follow, almost frightened to be in an unfamiliar area that wasn't unfamiliar at all. Silver hair cascaded over her aged face as she shuffled her feet while inspecting the area with childlike eyes of doubt. Her features were soft, yet refined; one could tell by looking into her eyes that parts of her had died years ago. She was merely one part of a person with a past too painful to accept. In her free hand was a doll, battered and bruised with age, yet in shockingly good condition. The doll adorned hair similar to her own silver locks, though from a distance, one could tell it was artificial. On the top half, small circles had been drawn for eyes. The woman clutched the doll to her chest, allowing it to sit on her arm like a baby clinging to its mother. Her hand held the head against her breast, as though shielding it from the outside world.

"Where are we, little boy?" Her voice was gentle like silk, yet lacked something, something vital that let everyone know something was wrong.

Genis stopped halfway down the aisle and presented the destination with a wave of his hand. "We're here, Mom. This is it."

The woman kept her gaze downward and clutched her doll. "Why do you call me that, little boy? I'm not your mother."

Something inside of Raine exploded; the tower of confident she knew she was began to form cracks. She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth as tears collected on the corners of her icy blue eyes. For a rare moment in time, she lost her composure as she fought the urge to break into a much deserved sob. The voice unlocked a part of Raine she paid a great deal of time locking away in the interest of her well being. Memories were like poison seeping into the few cracks she hadn't yet sealed away; it spread like a virus, replicating and projecting scenes in her mind that were bittersweet, though much more bitter than sweet. The river of tears broke free from her eyes and streamed down her face with force to rival the Meltokio sea.

"It can't be." Her words were soft and her tone low. She half hoped her mind was slowly growing fragile. Maybe all of this was a dream. Her memories leaked into reality as her anticipation to find a steady point in her life grew. For the longest time she dreamed of being able to lay back and not worry about what tomorrow would bring, to feel confident the future would feel remorseful, regretful for the past and be kind to her. She was tired of running, tired of fearing what would come next. There was always something next. There was always another door to open. All she wanted to do was carve out a piece of tomorrow, instead of severing the chains of fate Martel had given her. At this point in time, she was weak and tired, but nowhere near the point of being helpless, even in this situation. The more knives in her back, the more burdens that bound her down, the more she wanted to fight; it was a skill with which she had been born.

Some of the bridal party members caught on to the situation and silently formulated a plan, but found themselves unable to move as though blocked behind an invisible barrier. Two and two clicked together. They felt the atmosphere tense, as though Sylph had thickened the air to the point of breaking.

"We're at Raine's wedding. You remember Raine, right?" Genis led the new guest down the aisle and to an empty seat near the front of the reception. "You can sit right here, Mom," he said, patting the top of the heavily decorated chair with a smile.

"Raine..." Virginia planted herself gracefully into the seat offered to her. She played with the doll in her hand, caressing the head and cooing it."I have a daughter named Raine. She's a brilliant girl."

The bride opened her mouth to speak, but no matter what she tried to say, the words were never quite right. She stepped back and shook her head, commanding the strife to give her peace for just a while longer."This is why?" Though the truth was displayed in front of her, she couldn't quite believe what was going on.

Genis turned to face his sister. His eyes softened and he kept his gaze downward, not quite ready to acknowledge the train wreck he'd created. He made his way back in front of the altar and took his place.

Virginia's eyes were wandering around, cold and empty as they had been for over ten year, as she swayed from side to side, listening to a song only she could hear. "Oh, this is a wedding." She smiled. "How lovely."

She could hear it. Raine could hear everything. Virginia's voice was like a spell with the power to resurrect. It resonated within her mind and played scenes she'd all but forgotten. She could see herself, years ago, sitting by the edge of the lake near the guard post in Heimdall. The air was different. There was something fresh about it, almost stagnant, but the familiarity made it pleasant. It was one of the only places she actually called home. A real home – a true home she could run to like a safe haven from everything Heaven and Hell threw at her. Iselia become second best at a close second. It lacked something Heimdall possessed naturally. Over the years, Raine never could quite put her finger on it. But it didn't matter. The question and the urge to discover it faded away while she dedicated her senses to something more important: living and keeping secrets.

Genis looked around and avoided making eye contact as much as possible. He coughed and took his place back beside the groom. "U-um... please continue the ceremony." His cheeks were crimson.

Regal stepped down the line. He handed over the thick, emerald green Ymir Tree Leaf with the wedding ring in the middle. The leaf symbolized the couple's connection with nature. The elves' love and respect of nature held influence in all of their major events, including weddings.

The Elder cleared his throat. He looked at the bride and groom who took their places once again. Raine gave a nod and took her husband's hand. "If anyone has a reason this union should not be, speak now or forever pierce thy tongue."

The silence was awkward to say the least, but it remained as such. No one spoke or gave reason to interrupt this long awaited union. A sense of relief took over. Raine and Lloyd could finally relax. There was nothing else to worry about. They would be sworn to each other and the journey of the rest of their lives would finally begin.

For the first time all day, the Elder smiled. "Lloyd Irving-Aurion, do you take this woman to be your wife for as long as you both shall walk this life?"

"I do."

"I ask the bride. Raine Sage, do you take this man to be your husband for as long as you both shall walk this life?"

"I do."

"Groom, you may present your chosen with your wedding ring. With this ring, you bind your life to hers. This contract will last for the rest of your lives."

The best man took his cue. Genis held out the leaf. His eyes swelled up as tears congregated on the edges of his eyelids. He sniffled, eager to blow his nose, but his arms stayed out stretched until Lloyd took the ring. Lloyd caressed Raine's hand, massaging it as he prepared to finalize the ceremony. Now was his time. He prepared for weeks as he fought anxiety and the nervous feeling that made him feel nauseous to the point of vomiting. Very few things in this world made him feel that uneasy – he hated it. He knew all of it was in preparation for this very moment. And it was worth it. Now, in this moment, he was finally ready. Lloyd slid the custom made wedding ring on Raine's finger as if he had practiced it to perfection. The fit was snug, as if modeled to her form.

The contract was signed.

"By the power given to me in the name of Origin, I now pronounce this couple husband and wife. Witnesses, please stand and acknowledge the union of Lloyd Irving-Aurion and Raine Irving-Aurion."

The crowd stood to their feet and a roar took over the land. Thunderous applause and cheers filled the area.

"Lloyd, sir, you may kiss your bride. Today, for the first time, you kiss her as your wife."

He smirked, anticipating this to be his favorite moment of the day. It wasn't the prospect of kissing Raine that excited him. He received such displays of affections all the time. It was the idea, the knowledge, the understanding that he would, as the Elder said, kiss her for the first time as his wife. Their union had been marked for quite some time, but today, it was official. It made the kiss of the rest of their lives that much more joyous; it sweetened the kiss and made it taste like her lips had been dipped in sugar and honey. He lifted the veil gently to reveal his pride and joy and moved in as until his lips met her. He brushed his hand against her cheek for a moment, sending a chill down her spine, and she blushed for a moment. Raine's lips tightened and twisted slightly, half annoyed at the idea of Lloyd teasing her. She'd been waiting for such a kiss for the same reasons. _Teasing during the wedding ceremony? How unprofessional._

But when it came, it was everything they'd expected and more. All the anguish, all the anger, all the pain she suffered through just moments before had been cleansed, like a panacea for poison.

As husband and wife turned to face the witnesses, the bridal party beamed and finally let their tears of joy flow like streams. Everything leading up to this very moment had been a journey for them all, but in the end each found content in knowing it was all worth it. They'd fought hard. This was the last battle, but the war, the journey through forever, had just begun.

"Congratulations!" they screamed. "Congratulations! We're so happy for you!"

And another day was marked in history. This moment was one of the most special they'd ever experience. It was a milestone reached after chipping away at the numerous roadblocks they'd faced with the sole purpose of halting progress; at certain times, they felt as though they were armed with nothing more than wooden sticks. Other times, they had no where to turn but themselves.

But now it was over.

It was time to enjoy life.

It was time to never look back.

The past was dark and blurred. The future was so much brighter.

_ Keep looking forward, Raine. Never look back. Never give up what you fought so hard to protect._

_ "Thank you, Genis. Thank you."_

x x x x x x x

The reception was held in Heimdall, only a few feet away from the spot the actual ceremony took place. The villagers put their hearts and souls into decorating for the wedding. Weddings only happened once in a blue moon since elves were long lived and marriage was more or less a meticulous process. Everyone felt like family to begin with, but it was the first time in a long while they welcomed a union between two outsiders. It was their form of apology – it was a way to finally wave the white flag and prove once and for all they were willing to compromise. They were ready to live in a world united by all people, regardless of race or origin. Life was life, no matter where it comes from or who gave it being. It was their present to the bride and groom. Both welcomed it with open arms. The love was overwhelming. They savored it, feeling the warmth like rays of sunlight.

Later, after the reception died down and people began to trickle home, the party transferred to Altamira. Regal offered his home as a more private area, but Lloyd politely declined the offer. He felt he would be intruding in the man's home. Regal was a busy man who had to juggle a wife of his own who needed plenty of attention and a multi-billion gald empire. Between rebuilding Ozette, paying for Presea's care, and helping her through the painful process of growing up sixteen years too late, he had his hands full. Regal and Presea insisted it wouldn't be a problem at all, but Lloyd stood firm. Instead, Regal rented out the top two floors and the roof top of the hotel for the party, free of charge. All their whims were catered to by an ensemble of uniformed maids. They felt like royalty. Raine still felt as though the adjustment had a steep learning curve. Her selflessness prevented her from taking advantage of everything, but her husband was rather understanding. As long as she was comfortable and relaxed, he was content. As long as Lloyd was content, she felt safe in his company.

The bridal party chattered and enjoyed their drinks while watching the sun set through the arches lining the hotel's rooftop. The sky stayed clear throughout the day. As the sky darkened, the stars began to unmask themselves behind hues of purple, navy blue, and pink. They twinkled, blinking as though they too had tears in their eyes and shined upon the newly married couple with approval. Gentle breezes swayed through the area, blowing anything not held down. Silk purple and green ribbons twisted around the arches in celebration of the recent wedding swayed in the breeze, waving to the sun as its orange haze gently crept below the horizon. Purple was the color of unity and royalty while green symbolized nature. The two colors meshed together well. Raine made a mental note to research the tradition behind the colors when she had the time. _ Umaquien empire started that tradtion... no, I think it came from the ancient Sages of Palmacosta who used green ribbons as a sign of alliance during the war... UGH! Raine, how could you forget simple history like this? _

Raine, feeling the effects of her pregnancy reaching nine months, reclined in a chair the same length as her body. She distanced herself from the commotion. With the help of Sheena, she changed into an alternate, more comfortable sundress in the same color as her bridal white after the ceremony. She relaxed for a bit, not quite ready to return, but too fatigued to be in the center of the merriment. Sleeping would call this day to an end; if she had her way, it would last forever.

Her train of thought was broken when she noticed a figure standing nervously at her side. The presence was familiar. Raine removed the silk handkerchief covering her eyes and blinked until her vision focused. A few seconds later, she confirmed her visitor's identity and greeted him with a smile. Her smile released some of the tension between them.

"Uh, Raine. Do you have a minute?" Genis shuffled his feet, rocking back and forth. "I just got back from taking Virginia home. It doesn't seem like she really remembers us..."

"So she returned home safely? That's good." Raine shifted in her chair. For some reason, she seemed pleased knowing Virginia remained oblivious to their identities. It may have turned a hectic day into even more of a nightmare. "Have a seat, Genis. I had a feeling you'd stop by."

Genis took the cue and grabbed a chair to sit by his sister. He sat down with his knees locked together. He twiddled his thumbs and waited for the words to form themselves. They remained silent for a few moment until he worked up the courage to face her. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Ge-"

He shook his head furiously. "NO! It's not okay. I screwed up, Raine. I'm sorry. I missed the rehearsal and half of the wedding."

Raine couldn't find the strength to be upset anymore. She knew he held enough resentment for the both of them, yet didn't feel content letting him suffer to his inner turmoil. "I was more concerned with your safety, Genis. No one had any idea where you'd run off nor did you leave any indication pertaining to your whereabouts. That worried me more than anything else."

The half elf looked down at his shoes and let the tears cascade down his flushed cheeks. His body rumbled in the chair. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't steady himself. "I'm sorry... No matter how many times I say it, it'll never be enough. But it's all I can do."

"I'm not upset."

"You should be!"

"I'm not." Raine sat up. Placing a hand on his cheek, she cooed him and wiped away a few drops. "Your intentions were pure-hearted. Things don't always work out perfect. I could never hate you."

"I love you, Raine." The small boy wiped his eyes and sniffled a bit, beaming at his sister. A weight had been lifted off his shoulder.

"I love you too, Genis."

"Just to let you know... I never intended to miss the service or rehearsal. I planned to find Virg-, um, Mom after speaking with you. Family is the one present I couldn't buy in a store or bake in the oven. Even if Mom doesn't recognize us, she'd at least get to see you on your wedding day." He scratched the back of his head. "It took me a while to find her. The Elders on Exire weren't very helpful."

Raine smiled and nodded. "The gesture took me by surprise, but I appreciate. It was... good to see her again." Her eyes drifted to the side and she gazed out into the distant beyond, feeling a wave of nostalgia. Somewhere, deep inside beneath the resentment and hatred she felt over the situations leading to her arrival in Iselia, she hoped, or rather, she knew something within her mother would awaken and she'd realize what she had done. It was the realization that locked away her sanity in the first place. Maybe it was the key to getting it back. Maybe, just maybe, she'd come back to life like the rest of the world and abandon the imaginary world she'd created for herself as a way of coping. If Raine could fight the twists and turns of reality and emerge victorious, Virginia could too.

Then, suddenly-

"Ra-Raine? RAINE?" Genis sensed an immense explosion of mana illuminating from his sister. It surged through her body like a storm; the eye of the hurricane centered around her stomach. He almost passed out from the mere shock of it all, but quickly regained his composure. Something was happening. Something great. Something powerful. Something he was experiencing for the first time ever.

Raine's eyes widen and she began to gasp, then yell, then scream, as she frantically flailed her arms in an attempt to find something stable to hold on to. Eventually, she found her brother's hand and squeezed with all her might. Genis fell to his knees in pain as his eyes swelled with tears for a second time. He was gasping almost as heavily as his sister, though he fought through the excruciating pain for her sake.

"LLOYD!"

The bridal party's conversations ended abruptly. The gang rushed over to the Professor who attempted to control her breathing, as per birthing coach, an experienced midwife in the village, taught her a few weeks ago. The group surrounded her chair and tried not to panic.

"It's time? Oh-ooooh! It's time! What do I do? What do I do?" Lloyd tried desperately to remember everything he studied about deliveries and child care in the libraries during his free time. For some reason, all the text blurred together without forming any meaningful sentences in his mind.

"Don't worry, I got this. I helped deliver babies in the village." Sheena took command and spat out orders just as she had the morning prior to the wedding. "Regal. Find me sheets to cover Raine. Zelos. Call a doctor. Presea, Colette. Find me a bowl of hot water and towels. Lots of towels. Lloyd, take her hand and squeeze like your life depended on it." As soon as their orders had been given, the troops ran off in the direction of the elevator. Zelos wondered off with a look of disappointment. Raine's screams quickened his pace as well as frightened him.

"Genis," Sheena said while positioning Raine in an optimal position for the delivery. "You probably don't wanna watch this..."

"I want to be by my sist-"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Raine crushed both Genis and Lloyd's hands at the same time. Their bones cracked, their muscles twisted, their fingers swelled like sausages in a steering hot pan. It was only a matter of time before Raine popped a blood vessel. Or crushed a bone. Or worse.

"No, Sheena. I'm going to stay by her side. I wouldn't run away." His eyes were bloodshot. His small body shuttered from the pain, but his determination was clear. The boy wasn't moving from his sister's side.

She sighed and caved in, deciding not to argue. This wasn't the time to get into heated discussions. The child wouldn't let them. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Raine was in a daze, half unaware of what was going on. She was thirsty, hungry, tired, and so many other things she couldn't possibly put into words. Her mind shut down from the pain, but she persevered, pushing whenever commanded. She felt euphoric – the voices around here sounded as though a distance off. Her icy blue eyes hid behind heavy lids. She found it difficult to see anything, half disappointed she couldn't look upon the face of her first child. The delivery so much energy out of her, she was unaware it was even happening until she heard-

"TWINS?" Sheena exclaimed with wide eyes. Zelos finally returned with the doctor from the elevator, jumping into action. Soon after, Presea and Colette arrived with their offerings of water and towels. Moments later, Regal arrived with a team of maids supplied with the finest linens he could find in the vicinity. Together, the two cleaned the first child and handed him to his father. "First one is a boy."

"It's a boy, Raine!" Lloyd held the child in his hands and cooed him.

Colette gasped hard enough to pass out and ran to Lloyd's side, eager to look at the baby. "Oh, wow! This is so exciting! He's so cute, Lloyd!"

All it meant to Raine was the journey through her child birthing adventure was only half traveled. She prepared herself to fight through it a second time, to bring a second life into this world. Despite the growing fatigue, she nodded at Sheena and began the process again.

"A girl," the doctor announced with a smile. "You did a great job, Raine."

An eternal later, Raine held another child in her sweat drenched arms. It was soft, it was small, and it cooed at her the way her own brother did over ten years ago. This time she wasn't alone and crying in a foreign land. She wasn't fearing for her life or going through an emotional breakdown over being separated from her family. She wasn't running away, she wasn't hiding, she wasn't escaping capture by the skin of her teeth. She wasn't a young girl, naïve and preparing to face challenges people twice her age have trouble handling. This time, she was surrounded by people who loved her more than life itself and she held in her arms just one present Destiny had in store for her. Raine smiled, presenting the precious gifts entrusted to her and her husband.

"Welcome to the world, little ones."

x x x x x x x

After the ordeal, the area was cleaned up and Raine was rewarded with a full night's sleep. The first night was rough, but nothing she wasn't accustomed to from previous experience. Lloyd on the other hand began his first night of fatherhood experiencing the joys of waking up to squeals and cries in the middle of the night. By sunrise, his eyes were bloodshot and bloated, begging for mercy.

"How?" he asked, laying on the bed with eyes half opened. He cursed the sunlight under his breath and asked Raine to close the curtains to block out the evil rays of morning. Raine laughed for the first time in a long while. "How did you do this for years at such a young age?"

"Because I had no other choice. It takes getting used to, Lloyd. I'm sure you can do it, _Daddy_," was her reply in between laughs. She saw pieces of herself years ago in him, waking up six, seven, sometimes eight times in the middle of the night to tend to the feeble cries of an infant Genis Sage. Even more if there was a thunderstorm. Existence itself seemed to scare that child.

Lloyd straightened into a sitting position on the edge of the bed and slouched over. Yawning, he wiped the sleep from his eyes. He looked towards the cribs and smiled at the sleeping faces of his son and daughter. "You're amazing, Raine. It's one of the best words to describe you. Your entire life... everything about you is simply amazing. You're like that bird Kratos was telling me about...what was it called again?..." He scratched his head and dug for the words. "Oh! A phoenix! Those birds that die, but are always reborn. Except, you never die. You're reborn into something even stronger than before."

To say his words were beautiful would be an understatement. The beauty came from his understanding of her and her actions. It shined in the way he looked for the positive in the negative. Out of all the people who had known her, Lloyd still remained as one of the only people who saw the light through the darkness in her life. Every so often, he'd perform magic with his words, unlocking a deeper understanding of herself she longed for, but couldn't quite put into words. For once in her life, she found herself unable to give a reply. Instead, she handed over the reigns to her emotions and let them speak for her. Her eyes glistened with fresh tears. She covered her quivering mouth with her hand.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lloyd asked, taken aback for a moment. "Honey, don't cry." He stood to his feet and walked to the balcony, embracing her with warmth only he could produce. His slender hands wiped away tears and he kissed her cheek.

She caved in, placing her head on his shoulder as the tears continued to shower down her face. It felt nice to depend on someone else for once. She took advantage of the moment, savoring it. "Lloyd, this is why I love you."

x x x x x x x

A few days after the delivery, the Irving-Aurion family moved into their new home. They would rather not admit they left the discussion of finding their first home together almost entirely to chance since the events of life seemed determined to set priority over everything else. Raine was completely aware of house hunting duties, though her pregnancy limited her mobility much faster than she anticipated. Whenever she broke out in a fever or showed any possible signs of illness, Lloyd would panic and demand she visit a doctor. His concern was genuine, but had she followed his orders every single instance, she'd spend more time in the doctor's office than outside in the real world. She knew babies were demanding, but there was a difference between raising one from infancy and having one grow inside of her body. The difference resulted in quite a bit of down time, to the annoyance of the Professor.

The home stood three stories tall on solid bedrock in the Iselia forest. Sometime in the middle of the summer, the Mayor secretly rounded up villagers and organized the building of their home. The project was intended to be a present to the family from the villagers; the mayor on the other hand used it as an excuse to keep Raine as a teacher in the ever growing Iselia school house. For some reason, the thought of finding a new teacher to replace Raine terrified him. He became accustomed to her presence. She was, in fact, one of the best instructors around. Her experience in the Chosen's Journey only added to her value. Even the Palmacosta Academy was beginning to dig their claws into her, requesting her service for "seminars" and meetings. To calm the fighting, Raine recommended her brother as a possible instructor. His grades were high enough, he excelled in every class he enrolled in, and he also aspired to be a teacher just like his older sister. By the time Raine announced her pregnancy, his application for a teaching job was in review. By the time she gave birth, it had been approved.

Genis happily accepted the position. Like every other teacher started out, he was at the bottom of the ladder. His teacher's assistant training was scheduled to begin the following week. Still a student, he'd continue to take classes but his lessons were accelerated – most of the time, he'd be sitting in the same room as people three times his age who had been studying in Palmacosta for six to ten years. Anyone else would have been intimidated, but he took the challenge head on knowing Raine would always be keeping watching out for him. Like the sun in the sky, she was miles away, but always there – always shining, always lighting the way. At night, she would be the moon, glowing to remind him of her omnipotence within his heart. She would never leave him. They were closer than ever. Genis considered this teaching position as a last request from his older sister, a sending-off present to him. It was a sign she wanted him to continue moving forward, just as she had.

The Mana Master spent the last of his days in Iselia with his niece and nephew. He tried to imagine how it was for Raine twelve years ago when he was left in her care. As hard as he tried, Genis couldn't begin to comprehend the torment his sister must have experienced. He only remembered his younger years as bits and pieces, but she most likely remembered everything with clarity. No matter what happened a decade ago, she had survived. Knowing that gave him confidence the children would grow up in the best possible environment. Before leaving, he promised to visit during every holiday, remembering what happened the last time during his absence.

Raine, Lloyd, Presea, and Regal stood outside the Irving-Aurion cottage. Noishe ran around the perimeter like a wild animal as he grew accustomed to his brand new dog house. Presea knew lumber like the back of her hand; with the help of Dirk, they supervised the building process to ensure the home would stand tall in the mists of anything nature could throw at it. Regal was responsible for decorating the residence and did so with joy. The home possessed the finest handcrafted furniture money could buy. He even purchased some artifacts he remembered Raine squealing over during their Journey.

"Consider it a wedding gift," he replied when Raine brought up the subject. Satisfied, she thanked him and left it at that.

Presea stood by the door and presented the home like a realtor. She bowed from the hips and smiled, waiting for the two to explore their wedding gift with two newborn babies in hand. "Please, enjoy your new home."

The newlyweds took the invitation. Raine opened the door and was amazed at the level of quality. Of course, the first thing she spotted was the Royal Crown of King Mil'lique II, Asgard's king during the Great Drought sitting on a table in the library. She ranted about how the Crown was given to the King for his eighteenth birthday. The infant student yawned and closed her eyes. Raine didn't notice and kept talking with her index finger wagging in the air. Regal, holding the other child, stood by the Professor and acknowledged her transformation into Ruin Mode. Nothing but time would stop her now.

Presea followed Lloyd for a bit while he inspected the craftsmanship. As expected from his father, it was top notch. His drawven trained eyes couldn't find a single flaw, not that he expected to come across one considering the two people responsible for building the home. "Wow, you guys did an awesome job. Thank you so much!"

"It's the least we could do, Lloyd," replied Presea. She giggled and shook her head as she listened to the Professor in the next room talking about how Asgard's influence fell during the Battle of Lake Umacy against Luin. Occasionally, she'd ask Regal a question. Some things would never change, but it was nice to see things that remained the same when the world around her was going through a metamorphosis. "Lloyd, I've been meaning to ask about something."

"What's up?" he replied, inspecting the hinges on the cabinets in the kitchen. Dirk did most of the cooking back in his old home. He was well aware his wife was... culinary impaired, to say the least. By now, he realized he had two options: learn to cook or starve.

"I'm aware of the elfin tradition of not naming children three days after their birth due to the fear of spirits marking them for evil early in their lives."

He moved to the table and chairs, checking out the subtle detail only a fellow builder could appreciate. "Oh yeah. The Professor said it's just superstitious, but we actually didn't get around to visiting the registry office to do anything since she's been pretty drained from the delivery. The babies have names though."

"May I ask what their names are? I'm curious."

Lloyd stood to his feet. He turned in the direction Presea was standing. His eyes glittered as he thought about their names, their beautiful, glorious names. If they had nothing else in this world, they had their names. While Raine had influence in deciding their names, it was Lloyd would put a heavy emphasis on the meaning. Years ago, Dirk told a crying, high strung Lloyd about the importance of a name.

"Lloyd, listen to me," Dirk said, holding the five year old's shaky shoulders. Once again, the children in the village were making fun of him for having no parents. But for some reason, it got to Lloyd like it did every once in a while. He ran home crying, screaming about how he didn't matter if he had no real parents, about how the children in the village had real families, and his couldn't compare. "Your name. Your parents gave you that name, boy. They gave you something that will be with you for the rest of your life. It's a gift. Cherish it. Remember the Drawven Vows, Lloyd."

"Those names are beautiful, Lloyd!" Presea exclaimed, still basking in the aura the baby's names produced in the atmosphere. "There's a lot of love and consideration in those names. I don't think you could have done any better."

"Haha," the swordsman laughed. "Thanks. I'm a father now, but I still can't believe it."

"You'll do fine. I'm sure of it."

x x x x x x x

The first night in a new home is always the most magical. Though, the family didn't get a chance to settle down until past midnight because of all the visitors. The couple's bedroom opened up to the nursery, so the newlyweds could jump to the rescue at any given moment. Raising a family in Iselia was the last thing on the minds, but neither of them could honestly find another village to call home. Iselia's charm had grown on them and, despite the negative past they'd experienced, still considered the area a safe haven. Neither of them were born there, but they left their mark in the hearts of the residents, which would never go away. It was decided in more ways than one that Iselia was the place they'd raise their family.

The two prepared for bed in their brand new bedroom. Raine tucked the babies into their cribs, covering their small frames with soft blankets. She kissed their foreheads and smiled, brushing their thin light brown hair back. The infants cooed. Sometimes their icy blue eyes would poke through their lids, scanning the unfamiliar room.

Raine checked the lock on the cribs one more time, just for good measure. Lloyd insisted not even Colette with her Cruxis Crystal could break the crib apart. But Raine couldn't be too careful. She stood there, above their crib, in a daze, still amazed at the fact she'd given birth to two children less than a week ago. She'd even gained a new respect for her mother who had little to no time to rest after the birth of her brother. It pained her to know she still had lessons to learn even at her age, but she took a page from Lloyd's book of life and found the silver lining; she'd be learning from the most important people in her life: her family.

Lloyd joined his family and placed his hand around Raine's waist. He gave the twins one last kiss good night. A glimmer of light across the navy blue night sky caught his eye. A mystical creature colored with shades of yellow, orange, and blues called out to the vacant sky. It flew on its side, performing a show for all to see. In front of the moon, the Summon Spirit of Light sat on her trademark crescent moon, staff in hand. Her presence lit up the sky with as much intensity as her companion. While Raine continued to bask the children in love, Lloyd slipped away to the open window. He made eye contact with Luna; she smiled and said something he couldn't hear but still understood. Aska continued to grace the lands below with his wonder, flying through the sky like a weightless dancer for a moment longer, until the two disappeared in a ball of light. He laughed and thanked the Grand Summoner for the wedding present.

"_Luna, my darling daughter. Aska, my prince to be. _

_You're named after two of the greatest Summon Spirits in this world. _

_Remember that._

_If you ever lose sight of the light in your life, _

_look no further than yourself. _

_I promise you'll always find it."_

* * *

THE FLUFF! IT BURNS! The fluff meters have self destructed in this chapter. Oops, tee hee.

Oh? Why is "final chapter" in my previous author's note in quotes? Because I'm considering leaving off with an epilogue. I know Virginia, Dirk, Colette, and Noishe didn't get a whole lot of screen time with the kids. Dirk and Colette had their Lloyd moments. Virginia... ugh. It's hard to write those moments with her. The tension between Virginia and Raine is thick. Noishe with the babies will be absolutely adorable. There's also Kratos... I have something in mind for Kratos if this epilogue comes to light. But since it took me forever to write this chapter, I'll mark this story as completed. Thank you guys for everything. I couldn't have done it without your support._  
_


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